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unlikely-course · 3 years

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The tl;drs of this very long post, which is about Gideon’s arc and her relationship to Harrow:

-Gideon’s arc in gtn is a corruption arc because tlt is not just goth but Gothic

-Gideon “forgives” Harrow because of Trauma and that’s definitely not the endpoint of how she feels about Harrow or their past

-The narrative knows what it’s doing

When Gideon says “For the Ninth!” as she dies, and thinks “this is the loyalty they always said I lacked, this is me making good” that’s not growth, that’s part of the tragedy of the moment. Like, the Ninth does not deserve her allegiance! It is, as Gideon was the first to remind us, rotten to the core. When she dies, it’s for Harrow, and her saying it’s for the Ninth does represent on some level that she’s come to new understanding about who Harrow is and how Harrow views herself *as* the Ninth, but like this is, I mean. Bad. Harrow herself does not deserve Gideon’s loyalty! Gideon gives it to her because it is a relief. Gideon is very good, yes, but the forgiveness is a response to trauma. The second Harrow shows even the slightest vulnerability or regard for Gideon, Gideon is eager to make amends because she has been starved for any positive association to others for her entire life, and Harrow was literally the only peer she ever had to associate with. She correctly identified that resistance to Ninth society was vital to her survival and selfhood, but also that shit is exhausting. That resistance is also partially formed by that society conveying to her: we have no place for you, we have no use for you as you are, and that makes you hateful to us.

Her response to Harrow and the cavalier role then is pretty classic! It is a relief to have a place, to be able to stop fighting, to give herself over to a structure sold to her as one in which she can support and be supported, to resolve the central conflict and most complicated relationship of her life. I maintain that you the reader are also supposed to feel initially relieved and even cheered by Gideon and Harrow growing closer and then gradually unsettled when Gideon embraces cavalierhood and the increasingly invasive demands of the trials, and has her mindset adjusted in increments toward sacrifice. To feel her thoughts turn in this direction is alarming! This is purposeful, and it is purposefully mixed in with good feelings, the same good feelings that Gideon is getting, to distract from and inoculate you against what is happening just as Gideon is inoculated against it.

In addition, Canaan House is a very particular crucible. This is not only the first time that Gideon has ever been bombarded with new people and experiences, but also the first time she’s faced these unknown external threats, which pushes her to unite with the familiar (Harrow) against them. Her past and present environments have made it so that the compassion she comes to feel for Harrow gets bound up in the idea of being loyal to her house, the ‘contract’ of her new role, and the positive interaction it gives her until the idea of her offering her life to Harrow is not simply necessary in the moment but good and right. Redeeming, even, when we as readers know she has nothing she needs redemption for.

Gideon is so very angry when she comes to in htn, and it is not merely anger at those who have wronged Harrow or anger at Harrow for endangering herself. On the First, she made a simple deal: her life for relief from the emotional state she had to live it in. Forgiveness for some kind of peace. And when she wakes up that exchange is refuted. Gideon frames Harrow’s actions as a rejection of herself out of low self-esteem but also in an attempt to deal with unresolved anger she has towards Harrow, anger that cannot fit into the cavalier role she wants to embody, anger that she attempted to trade away but in actuality can’t. Because the role she was sold, the type of relationship the cavalier and necro is supposed to be, is ultimately false. It encompasses very real and deep relationships, as we have seen, but the framework uses these real elements to its own ends, the Empire’s ends, and despite its proclamations of mutual care the relationship is always at the cavalier’s expense.

This is what it means to say Gideon’s arc in gtn is a corruption arc. It’s not that she becomes “bad,” it’s that the corrupting forces of the narrative have reached out and altered her, worn her down, seduced her even. This is Gideon’s first contact with the wider Empire, in the seat and seed of its wretched power, and it has used her goodness, her capacity for connection (and yes for forgiveness as well!) against her to further ensnare her, to draw her in line with itself. And then she dies for it, as it demands! Wow. And the we have the other side of that, which is when Gideon says “For the Ninth!” she’s signaling to Harrow that she has come to value what Harrow values, just as Harrow herself, watching in horror, has come to realize her values are very fucked up.

And Harrow has indeed realized that by that time! Harrow really does travel such a distance in gtn, but this is largely obscured from us just the same as plot details are in the book, by the limits of Gideon’s perception. And let me be clear: this is a feature, not a bug. It is not a weakness. It is vital! Integral! To the above, and all it entails for Gideon as a character and the overall themes of the series, that Gideon forgive Harrow without Harrow having “earned” it or made real amends. The fact that she does conveys to us everything I’ve just been talking about!

Furthermore, this story is in conversation with a rather particular type of Christianity, but Gideon’s Jesus parallels are even more widely applicable. Forgiveness is kind of a whole theme with that guy, and the book is also plenty interested in what it costs for a human to forgive as divinely as scripture demands (to forgive as the bond demands, as the empire demands). In some ways there are good things that may come of it, sure, but it is not a purely redemptive force for the giver or receiver. It does not necessarily resolve.

I myself can’t say that I ship Gideon and Harrow in the way people traditionally think of shipping, nor as I have traditionally shipped other characters. Still, I reject the notion that that way of relating to each other is not a central part of the questions the book is asking. Like before, when I was talking about Gideon finding something to believe in in the way the adept/cavalier bond is sold to her—although we see that bond encompass many different types of relationships it is in Gideon and Harrow’s case speaking to how romantic love (much like that forgiveness!) is not immediately and entirely redemptive. I mean, Muir does say the series is about how love can be redemptive, but I think can be is the operative phrase here, in that it’s also first demonstrating the ways it’s not, or at least not always the way we think it will be--the limits and then the power. Trying to set that aspect of the relationship aside (like a “sisters” route or something similar) is a weak and queasy side-stepping of the issue.

Remember that interview where Muir says something along the lines of like, she didn’t write it as necessarily romantic but definitely homoerotic? Yeah.

Despite all that I do want to make it clear that I hope Gideon and Harrow work it out in the end. Just don’t assume the narrative does not understand what working it out might entail. And who knows? I might have the read all wrong. Maybe Muir doesn’t understand what she’s doing. But I feel pretty compelled by the textual evidence.

#gideon the ninth #gideon nav #the locked tomb #gideon the ninth spoilers #harrow the ninth spoilers

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jedimasterbailey · 3 years

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Polis Massa and Utapau! :3

HI! ☺️ Thank you so much for two more questions I was hoping to get asked!

List of original ask game questions linked down below!

Polis Massa: Favorite OTP’s

Romance wise, I only have three!

1.) Barrissoka (Ahsoka Tano x Barriss Offee): This is the BOAT for me! I could very much write a whole thesis on why I love these two together so much but I’ll keep it short. I’veshipped these two since I first saw them together in the Clone Wars years ago (well before I knew I myself was gay and could truly appreciate wlw romance) and despite all the horror Feloni put them through, I’d still die for them. These girls deserve happiness 🧡💙🤍💚

2.) Kenduli/Obinara (Luminara Unduli x Obi-wan Kenobi): Just like the above ship, I could write pages on why I also love these two together but I’ll abbriaviate. I fell in love with their dynamic in the Legends novel “The Approaching Storm” (highly recommend) and that love grew even more when I saw their dynamic in the Clone Wars. Like the way Luminara relaxes around Obi-wan and the way Obi-wan worries for her on Geonosis is just so damn cute okay? They’re two of my all time favorite characters and I think they go nicely together shoot me 😄

3.) Hanleia (Han Solo x Leia Organa): Need I say more? How can you not love the OG ship? They are just too damn cute and lovey dovey with each other and the sequels did them real dirty…totally not bitter about it one bit.

As for platonic OTP’s, I am a huge sucker for the wholesome Jedi Master/Padawan relationships. The Jedi are just so damn good and loving 💙💚💜

Utapau: Personal Ranking of Episodes

This one is a difficult one since I love all the first 6 episodes so much (sorry sequel fans, I won’t be including those here, just not my cup of tea).

1.) Revenge of the Sith/Return of the Jedi: These two are tied as my favorite because I literally cannot choose.

Return of the Jedi has always been my favorite of the OG trilogy (I abused the hell out of that VHS tape and DVD). I just love a good satisfying ending and that’s what Episode 6 is, a good ending. All the characters have grown immensely. Han is no longer a relunctant hero, Leia is still a badass but she’s now a badass motherfucking Hutt slayer and a friend to the Ewoks, and Luke is a Jedi Knight with a new green saber. The reveal about the twins is finally made and we finally get to see that climatic showdown between Luke and the Emperor with Vader finally returning as Anakin and sacrificing himself for his Son. The Empire is then finally gone and the Jedi and the Republic can start to rebuild. That ending scene with Luke looking at the Force ghosts with Anakin joining in light colored robes never fails to get me misty eyed 🥲

Revenge of the Sith is the prequel movie I’ve watched the most and to me it’s a direct parallel to Episode 6. It’s tragic as fuck and the Order 66 scene will never fail to break my heart as well as the Mustafar battle, but it’s still a hauntingly beautiful film. Anakin essentially is the reverse of Luke in that he made all the wrong choices and I find it poetic knowing what would happen in the future. The soundtrack to this film is also probably my favorite 👌🏻

2.) Attack of the Clones: This movie is so entertaining to watch. Okay, so as much as I love the originals, the prequels and the Clone Wars are my jam in that all my favorite characters are alive and well and we get to see so much Jedi badassery. That scene where all the Jedi arrive on Geonosis is 👏🏻💙💚💜🤌🏻 perfection ☺️ I also really like the different journeys Anakin and Obi-wan go on and their banter in this film never fails to make me laugh. It’s essentially the final stop before all the tragedy happens and I’m here for it.

3.) A New Hope: Like many, this is the first Star Wars movie I ever watched and it’s the reason why I’m so deep into this universe. The story and pacing of this movie is top notch. This movie is just full of so many surprises and touching moments (like Luke looking off into the binary sunset, Obi-wan telling Luke about his father, the final duel between Obi-wan and Vader, and the final Death Star battle sequence where the golden trio work together to defeat the Empire). This episode is 100% a comfort episode for me and I’ll never stop loving it.

4.) The Empire Strikes Back: Most people have this one ranked higher than New Hope or Return of the Jedi but for me personally, that was never the case. Don’t get me wrong, I love this movie. It’s a great sequel to episode 4 in that it continues to build on all the elements we fell in love with in ANH (I.e The Force, Han/Leia’s romance, Vader’s connection to Luke, etc.) while adding new elements such as Vader’s inner turmoil and new characters like Lando. Luke’s Jedi training with Yoda on Dagobah with Yoda will always be my favorite sequence in that film because it delves into what it means to be a Jedi and what the Force is. I think for me it just boils down to the fact that the Empire/Sith get the upper hand on this one and I’m all for the good guys.

5.) The Phantom Menace: Now just because it’s last on my list doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. Unlike what most would say, the story is a solid one. I liked seeing all the political strings Palpatine had to pull to get where he needed to be and I liked seeing who Anakin was before his Jedi training. I think it was important for the audience to see where Vader came from and how he ended up at Obi-wan’s side. The Duel of the Fates sequence will never not be cool; it’s one of my all time favorite Obi-wan moments. This is just the episode I’ve probably seen the least.

Phew, I’ve ranted quite a bit but I still had fun 😄😊

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ariainstars · 4 years

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Star Wars, the Last 20 Years or Can We Please Try to Stop the Blame Train?

I would like to touch a subject that’s starting to grate on my nerves a little.

Anyone here knows that I disliked The Rise of Skywalker heartily. And I’m not the only person here or elsewhere who tore it to shreds. But I am reading (again) over and over why and how JJ Abrams, Chris Terrio, Kathleen Kennedy and Co. made this mess. Instead of searching for culprits, this time I would like to point out a few things.

I. Star Wars Prequels

Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best and Hayden Christensen had to endure awful harassment in their time: the audience largely vented their frustration on them because when the prequels hit theatres, they did not get the Star Wars they had wanted. Politics are a dry subject, and young Anakin and the Jedi Council were all too human to be liked by fans who expect coolness in a hero more than everything else; which is probably why Darth Maul is a huge favorite although we hardly learn anything about him and he says almost nothing. Ditto Obi-Wan although he is clearly not suited to train Anakin and it’s him who maims him and leaves him to burn in the lava. (Until I saw the film, I had always assumed Palpatine had tortured Anakin to push him to the Dark Side.)

The prequels’ messages in general were not liked: the Jedi were not perfectly wise and cool wizards, the Old Republic was stagnant, Anakin was a hot-headed, frustrated young man desperate to save his wife and unborn children. The films do not want to excuse what he did; however they portray him not as a monster but as a human being who was under an almost unendurable pressure for years and years until he finally snapped.

These messages may not be “cool”, but they were realistic and most of all, humane. Portraying the Jedi as well as Anakin as powerful, flawless heroes and the old Republic as a just, prosperous and balanced place would have meant undermining a central theme of the original trilogy: the former generation could not have been all that powerful and wise, else the collapse of their world and the failure of their convictions would not have happened in the first place. It is a sore point, but still twenty years later Obi-Wan and Yoda denied that Vader was human and expected Luke to commit patricide.

All of this goes to show that the Jedi’s moral standard was flawed and their attitude not rooted in compassion and pacifism the way they claimed. In the end, what they cared about was winning, no matter the cost. In this, they were no better than the Sith.

~~~more under the cut~~~

II. Star Wars Sequels

J.J. Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, Bob Iger and company were the ones who introduced the Star Wars sequel trilogy and with it its themes, characters, setting etc. to us in the first place: I think we should give them credit where it’s due. Rian Johnson made a very beautiful second chapter with The Last Jedi, but he did pick up where the others had left.

Kelly Marie Tran made experiences similar to Jake Lloyds or Hayden Christensen’s when The Last Jedi was hit theatres. She was disliked for not being “Star-Wars-y” enough, chubby and lively instead of wiry and spitfire, and also taking a lot of screen time while many fans were impatiently waiting for some grand scenes from Luke and / or Leia.

That Episode VIII, the central and most important one, was called “The Last Jedi” cannot be overstated. Luke was literally alone with the heavy task of rebuilding a religious order that was gone and destroyed long before he even learned about it, and at the same time he had to patch together his own family and atone for his father’s sins. This is a crushing burden for anyone to carry. It was important both for Rey and for the audience to meet Luke to see that he was a good man, but still just a man.

When Luke spoke openly to Rey about the failure of the Jedi Order, it was the first time he ever spoke about it that we know of; this wisdom he obviously acquired only after his nephew’s fall to the Dark Side. Luke has understood that the ways of the Jedi were wrong; but he does not know a better alternative. Force users are still born all over the galaxy, and they have to learn to use their powers - only how? Again, Luke is not to blame. How is he to know, when the Jedi of the Old Republic had lost sight of Balance in the Force for so long that they didn’t know what it actually meant anymore?

Same goes for Leia, the princess without a realm, who tried to rebuild the Republic after the galaxy had been terrorized by the Empire and devastated by war for many years. She assuredly did her best, but she was only human. That she failed her son is of course shocking, but after the horror she had to endure at the hands of her own father it is not surprising that she would be terrified of her son possibly going the same way. Ben, like Anakin, was crushed under a legacy and responsibility that was by far too heavy for him. The tragedy of his life and the disruption - and in the end, obliteration - of his family was another proof for the failure of the ways of the Jedi.

All of these lessons until now were not learned from. But let’s be honest: how many of us come from dysfunctional families? If we do, was getting away from them enough to heal the wounds of the past? Did we find out what to give our children on their way in life, or did we fail them because we had not elaborated the past enough to make way for a better future? Such problems are very common, and to heal them is complicated and takes time. A “happy ending” e.g. in form of finding a new family is not enough, on the contrary, it can lead to wanting to leave the past behind, leaving wounds unhealed that will fester their way through our lives again, sooner or later. Star Wars always was an allegory of the human mind, even if deeply cloaked in symbolism. The saga also abundantly takes inspiration from the Bible, and I think it’s not coincidentally said there that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children.

As fans, we would have wanted to see films that cemented the Jedi as guardians of the galaxy, with the Skywalker family right at the center. Which in itself is impossible because Jedi are supposed to remain unattached, making the mere idea of a Jedi having a family absurd. If the prequels told us that the Jedi were flawed, the sequels tore down the myth of the Skywalker family. And both trilogies showed that you can’t be a Skywalker and / or a Jedi / Force user and have attachments and a happy family of your own at the same time. At least, not until now.

III. Film production

Many fans of old complained because the sequel trilogy implied that the “happy ending” of the original trilogy’s heroes had not been so happy after all and that after having made peace for the galaxy, they had failed to keep it that way. Other viewers however liked the new trilogy and new characters right away and began to root for them. But they, too, jumped on the blame train when the trilogy had ended: expectations were not met, and now director, producers, script writers, cutters etc. are faulted all over again.

The first person coming up with the idea of Han’s and Leia’s only child turning to the Dark Side was Lucas himself. It always was a main theme of the saga that war separates people who actually belong together, like family, couples or close friends; that is not played for mere drama, but because it emphasizes the absurdity of war.

We as the audience do not know how production went - it is very possible that Lucas approved the general storyline, and there is always a whole team on board. It is not easy to purchase such a large and immensely popular franchise; it was to be expected that if things went not the way the audience expected, the Disney studios would be blamed harshly for having “ruined Star Wars”. With the prequels, at least Lucas was still at the helm; it was conceded that maybe he had lost his magic touch with storytelling, but certainly not that he was trying deliberately to ruin his own creation. And the fans who could not praise the Disney studios enough after The Last Jedi came out, now blame them over and over.

The Disney studios have long-term politics to consider and contracts to observe, and we don’t know their contents. We have every right to be disappointed, but I think it’s not fair to blame one or a particular group of persons who are trying their best to satisfy as many viewers as possible. If they simply wanted to satisfy the average dudebro who sees nothing but clichés, two-dimensional characters and Good against Evil - then why did they allow The Last Jedi to be produced in the first place? The studios obviously are aware that there are fans out there who are ready to look deeper in the saga’s themes, who wish to see the Force coming to Balance, who value family, friendship and love over “victory at any cost”, and who do not place the Jedi on some kind of pedestal.

In a sense, The Rise of Skywalker seems like a bow before The Last Jedi: the weakest chapter of the saga followed one of its strongest. Maybe the authors were aware that equaling or even topping what Rian Johnson had created would be next to impossible, so they patched up the open threads of The Force Awakens together with some fan service hoping to be out of the business as quickly as possible.

In retrospect, the infamous podcast with Charles Soule might also be tell-tale: Soule obviously is not elbows-deep in the saga and largely ignores its subtext. Since his The Rise of Kylo Ren comics are quite well-made, I assume that the general storyline did not stem from his own creativity and that he only carried out what he had been advised to do. The production of the whole sequel trilogy may have happened in a similar way. I am not excusing the poor choices of The Rise of Skywalker; merely considering that one or a few persons cannot be blamed in a studio that has thousands of creative minds on board.

I am still hoping for the next trilogy to finally bring Balance to the galaxy, and also into the fandom. Rian Johnson had negotiated the rights for the next trilogy along with The Last Jedi; I assume it is very possible that there was a clause about intellectual property saying that only he would continue Episode VIII’s topics, nobody else. This would at least be an explanation, given the embarrassing, jumbled mess that Episode IX was.

The overall title of the saga assuredly never wanted to inspire the audience to start online wars attacking the studios or the actors or other fans out of the conviction of being entitled to blame someone else’s worldview. The saga’s message is compassion. Both George Lucas and the Disney studios are telling us their story; the idea and the rights do not belong to us. Harping on “whose fault” it allegedly is won’t bring us anywhere; what we can do is make the studios understand that we’re not too stupid not to understand the subtext, the symbolism and metaphysics of the saga beyond the action story. If they listened to the Last Jedi haters, in all fairness they are bound to listen to us, too. 😊

IV. Will Ben’s story continue?

My husband already warned me years ago that Ben most probably wouldn’t survive, or at least not get a happy ending. As Kylo Ren he had already been the head of a criminal organization for six years at the start of The Force Awakens, but all of that perhaps could still have been condoned within the scope of war. It was the very personal and intentional act of patricide, the killing of an unarmed, forgiving man, who turned him into a damned person. And after the deed, Ben was aware of it. He knew there was no way out for him, he had gone too far.

Many members of the audience did not understand that Kylo / Ben is not an out-and-out villain and that this narrative ultimately was about his redemption. Bringing him back to the Resistance after the Exegol battle alive and by Rey’s side would not have been accepted; how was Rey to explain everything when she hardly understood it herself? How would the audience have reacted to the former head of a criminal organization, a patricide, suddenly standing out as a hero? Remember how in Return of the Jedi Luke asked Vader to come away with him. Now suppose Vader had complied? It would have seemed (and been) sheer madness. Nobody would have believed neither father nor son that the terror of the galaxy had had a sudden turn of heart. Nobody knew that he was Luke’s father; Luke himself did not know Anakin’s backstory; nobody knew what had transpired between Luke and Vader so far. Yes, Ben was young and healthy, but he still had terrorized the galaxy for years and killed his own father. He knew himself that he was damned and could not go back to normality, as Vader did.

Rey was coded as the heroine: narratively, the sequel trilogy was her story. Ben couldn’t become the hero, with or without her, at the very last moment. She usurped power like her grandfather in his time, the Skywalker family was obliterated the way the Jedi were, she takes over another mantle (Skywalker) the way Palpatine did (becoming the Emperor). Balance in the Force never was truly in the cards, it was only vaguely hinted at in The Last Jedi by the Force mosaic in the Ahch-To temple. Balance is a complex and difficult subject; it would have been extremely difficult to develop it in the sequel trilogy together with introducing the new characters and giving the old ones closure.

However: if Ben is brought back in the next trilogy, his sacrifice for Rey will have been his atonement. If his role this time is not that of the villain but of the hero, it would reverse Anakin’s path and make clear that he no longer is the same man. Vader was redeemed, not rehabilitated. His grandson might still have the chance to go that way.

- Luke had promised Rey a third lesson, and it happened. He also had promised Ben to “see him around”, which has not taken place yet.

- On Tatooine, Rey watches the twin suns setting, same as Luke before he met the other half of his soul (his twin sister) again.

- The studios had said that the sequels would be “very much like the prequels”; the prequels were a tragedy where the Dark Side (Palpatine) won that was followed by a fairy tale where the Light Side won.

- The Skywalker saga is closed, so if Ben comes back it would be justified by his being a Solo, i.e. the story of his own family and not his grandfather’s.

- Given the parallels with Beauty and the Beast, the Beast died before the broken spell brought him back, making him a wholly new person - his past identity, purged and redeemed.

- George Lucas repeatedly said that the prequels and the classics belong together as one narrative, with Anakin Skywalker at its center. First news of the next trilogy came up with The Last Jedi. Since there are strong parallels between Ben and his grandfather, we may assume that this six-chapter instalment will be his; Anakin also was left for dead but came back with a wholly different role and name.

- When Anakin was reborn as Darth Vader, he “rose” slowly from the ground, clad in his black armor. Ben fell to the ground abruptly and shed his black clothes, disappearing. This could be another clue. (It was also already speculated that Leia’s body dissolved exactly in this moment because she gave her life-force to her son for him to have another chance to live. Both Han and Luke had done what they could to atone for their remorse towards Ben; this might be her turn.)

- Much as I love Luke Skywalker, I can understand that Lucas did not see him as the saga’s protagonist. The overall arch is not so much about Luke’s heroism than about Anakin’s redemption and atonement. It is unusual because we expect the story’s “hero” to be the one who kills the Bad Guy; and indeed Anakin is, because he kills Palpatine in the end, the twist being that technically he is also a villain though not the archvillain.

- Ben had promised Anakin he would finish what he started. Anakin had been meant to bring Balance to the Force, and he had started a family. Until now, Ben did neither.

- If Ben and Rey are a dyad, i.e. one soul in two bodies, then Rey is in urgent need of her soulmate for her future tasks. She has her friends of course, but none of them gets her the way he did.

So, I still see reason to hope for a continuation, and, hopefully, satisfying conclusion of The Last Jedi’s themes.

Film production: on a side note…

In the Nineties, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale were the directors both of Beauty and the Beast and Atlantis: two more different stories are hardly imaginable with regard to everything - drawing style, setting, characters, development, music etc. This outcome can’t have been only due to the director’s choices, there must have been a wholly different idea behind both films right from the beginning. Just saying.

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arlingtonpark · 4 years

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SNK 130 Review

For the first time, thanks to this chapter, SNK is more popular than Domestic Na Kanojo, a manga about a love triangle between a dude and his step-sisters, one of whom is his teacher.

We did it fam. Mission accomplished.

I feel like the scenario where the outside world and Paradis are kept apart with Paradis threatening to rumble the world if there’s any interference is something of an equilibrium point.

They say that nature has a balance to it. A natural rhythm that it follows on its own.

Predators hunt prey, so naturally there are less predators than prey, lest the prey population be wiped out. When predators are too many and prey is too few, the lack of food causes predators to leave the area or die off, which prompts the prey population to rebound.

So there’s a certain point at which things balance out. This is an equilibrium.

Social situations are like that too.

People have desires and preferences, and in a social situation, a dynamic will form that satisfies as much of those desires as possible.

Because the equilibrium point is the state of affairs at which as many people as possible are satisfied, in the long term any disruption to that equilibrium will be corrected.

Not because of magic or anything, but just because it’s the scenario that most people prefer, so the state of affairs will trend towards it over time.

This is a really long way of saying that I think that some variation on the King Fritz scenario is the best outcome everyone can hope for.

Everyone gets to live and go about their lives.

The downside is that there’ll always be an undercurrent of resentment. And, oh yeah, becoming titans and eating children is necessary to make the wall titans work as a threat. That’s bad, but a natural balance isn’t a utopia.

It’s a testament to how much the SNK world sucks that *this* is the outcome that allows the most people to be happy.

Rape, parents eating children, all of it indefinitely.

That’s one of the most frustrating things about this chapter.

Just…what even is the message of this story anymore?

Attack on Titan is a series about freedom and striving for freedom. Eren has embodied that struggle the whole time.

But now?

Eren is a lunatic who’s about to crush the whole world.

The Cringevengers are fighting for freedom, but not their own. Stopping Eren will only open a pathway for the world to retaliate against Paradis for the failed rumbling. Their mission is one of self-destruction.

That’s noble, but it’s looking more and more like the cringevengers are going to lose. They’re physically and mentally exhausted, and they don’t really have much personal stake in this anymore.

So I guess we’re heading for an ending where Eren destroys the world.

If that’s the case, then…what’s the message?

Is this a tragedy?

Tragedies are about characters failing to rise above their flaws, but they’re also supposed to be constructive.

Tragedies work when they show the audience that a happy ending could have happened but for the character’s flaws.

Romeo and Juliet could have lived if it weren’t for their feuding families, for example. The story ended sadly, but there was a clear path to a happy ending.

What is the path forward in Attack on Titan?

The Marleyans are shit. They’re racist colonialists out to dominate the world. They coral Eldians into camps, use them as weapons, and want to build a global empire. Their long term motivation is to preserve their global dominance.

Eren is a lunatic. ‘Nuff said.

The Cringevengers have the moral high ground, but…if they win, the Eldians still die. So…go Cringevengers?

Who is the hero of this story right now?

Which path is the right one?

What is even the message anymore?

The answer is that there is none.

The situation is clearly designed to make this outcome inevitable.

The world is going down this bad path because almost everyone has the same flaw: they are willing to kill people for the sake of their own prejudices.

If only a couple of characters had that flaw, this would be fine, but making this flaw so widespread makes it seem that humans in general are like this, and that’s wrong.

Most people are not like this.

I think the fact that humanity has not self-immolated yet speaks for itself.

I don’t know what’s going on in Isayama’s mind, but I wonder if maybe he’s a bit paranoid about tensions between Japan, and China, and the Koreas.

The possible social commentary in SNK is always interesting to think about, but I’m just going to skip over that here.

…

Ugh, I guess I have to talk about the pregnancy now.

So first off, my starting point when thinking about the pregnancy is that whatever happened, it didn’t involve rape.

That’s maybe something we shouldn’t assume, but I don’t think Isayama will cross that line. Having Historia go through that trauma for basically no reason is viscerally disgusting and I trust that Isayama knows that.

Attack on Titan is ostensibly about freedom; being forced to carry a child to term is not that.

Clearly.

So I take it as a given that there was no rape.

Once you do that, thinking about the pregnancy becomes much simpler.

There are really only two possible explanations:

1. That Historia fell in love with a man, decided to have a family…and that Isayama is playing up the possibility of rape for shock value.

Or.

2. The pregnancy is somehow fake.

So which is more believable?

Honestly, I lean towards (1), though I’d prefer it be fake.

Before this chapter came out, I never felt it was likely the pregnancy was fake. There was an aura of suspicion around it, but that doesn’t prove much.

We know the pregnancy was inexplicably advantageous to Zeke, and we know that Eren and Historia were up to something right before Eren disappeared.

Isayama is clearly hiding something, but a fake pregnancy specifically?

I see no reason why it would be that and not, say, a secret romance.

That’s what really scares me though.

Most people can explain why callous depictions of rape are bad. The number of people who can explain why callous depictions of queer people are bad is much smaller.

I ship yumikuri. In fact, it’s one of the few pairs I ship.

So call me biased if you want, but the bottom line is that Ymir explicitly loved Historia, and most people would at least say Historia might have reciprocated. I personally would say she definitely did.

Ymir loved Historia.

She loved her enough to reach out to her and try to save her from her own fate.

Enough to jump from the tower and fight off the titans.

Enough to make Bertolt and Reiner turn back to get her.

Ymir did all this because she loved Historia.

But Isayama, it seems, wrote it into his story that Ymir loved Historia just to move the plot forward.

And once Ymir’s purpose as a character was fulfilled, she was removed from the story and killed off screen.

That’s a really shitty thing to do.

Establishing a queer romance just so the characters have motivation to go from Point A to B and nothing more is fucking low.

It’s cheap as hell.

It’s offensive.

But, I have to point out, not as offensive as a rape victim carrying their child to term.

I think that’s important to keep in mind.

People have written about women’s rights for centuries. Those principles are well established, if not always followed.

Gay rights just aren’t.

Most people can tell you why reducing rape to cheap drama is bad; most people cannot tell you why reducing lesbian romance to a plot device is bad.

(The answer is that they both trivialize their subjects, albeit in slightly different ways.)

I bring this up because I think people underestimate the chances that in-universe Historia is pregnant because she wants to be pregnant.

We can infer from what we know that Historia is pregnant because it’s part of a plan to help Zeke or Paradis, but we can also infer that this is not exactly the case.

It’s not directly established that Historia is pregnant because of Paradis’ or Zeke’s machinations. All we know is that these people were plotting to use her to make babies. We haven’t seen the point where she was roped into those schemes.

So I don’t think it can be discounted that Isayama plans to pair Historia up with a guy, most likely either Eren or Farm boy. Unfortunately.

Gay people don’t have many allies in this world. Unfortunately, that means Isayama is likely to *not* be one of those allies.

SNK’s record of depicting gay relationships speaks for itself.

That was all what I thought before this chapter came out.

I still think that.

So.

Now I guess I have to talk about Historia in this chapter now.

So Historia’s scene opens with her having resigned herself to a future of rape and Eren telling her she’s a human being who has rights.

…

……

I almost can’t bring myself to talk about this.

You know, back when Attack on Titan first become popular, it got a lot of praise for how feminist it was.

It was a post-apocalyptic survival horror show, and it really stood out how many prominent women there were.

Hange, Annie, Mikasa, Sasha, Historia, Rico. These people saw real action and had real characters, and a lot of people appreciated that.

Yep.

Good times. Good times.

How did we get here?

What happened?

Historia’s character is all about agency.

She wanted to end her life because she thought she was a burden. In the cavern she was prepared to take on the same burden she’s taking on right now, but she chose to live for herself.

She saved herself from that fate.

She rejected her family’s burden and chose to forge her own path.

Now it’s like that never happened.

She’s back to killing herself for everyone else’s sake, except now she’s also a damsel who needs Eren to save her.

So Eren reveals his plan to her, and she’s totally distraught over it. She tries to reason with him, and Eren just glares at her like she’s Reiner or something.

Finally we get to the most eyebrow raising moment in this exchange: when Historia invokes Ymir to justify opposing Eren.

I think Ymir is supposed to be seen as a tragic figure in Attack on Titan.

She didn’t have to take the fall for those Eldian cultists. They plucked her out of nowhere and randomly decided to worship her. She didn’t ask for any of this trouble.

But regardless, she took the fall for them.

When she got a new lease on life, she chose to live for herself. She’d put herself before everyone else for a change. She’d let no one else’s fate decide her’s.

But it never turned out that way.

I think Ymir’s tragic flaw is that she cares too much for her own good.

She was always going out of her way for others and doing more than she needed to. Helping Connie, helping Historia, helping Reiner and Bertolt.

Her enemies.

Ymir is a good person at heart, and that’s not bad, but according to Attack on Titan’s morality, being “good” to the point of self-sacrifice is bad.

I think one of the morals of Attack on Titan is that if you sacrifice yourself for other people’s sake……you end up sacrificing yourself.

Ymir could have left Reiner and Bertolt to their fates and returned to the walls. She could have lived a happy life with her friends and the girl she loved.

But she didn’t.

She knew that returning to Marley would mean death for her, and guessed what happened?

She did the thing that would likely kill her and she was killed.

Ymir couldn’t help but be a “good girl” and for that she was punished.

Thus endeth the tragedy of Ymir.

Now we come to Historia.

“If I don’t do everything in my power to stop you, I can’t live with my head held high!”

Historia is using Ymir’s words, but she’s actually betraying Ymir right now.

Ymir meant those words in the sense of living for yourself and not others. In the sense of not being self-sacrificial.

As far as Historia is concerned, in her current situation, she only has two options.

Let them rape her for the sake of her people, or let Eren destroy the world.

That’s it.

As far as Historia is concerned, to oppose Eren is to tacitly support the rape option.

So Historia is using Ymir’s words, but really it’s an insult because she’s using them to defend what Ymir would have hated.

Her self-sacrifice.

One thing that’s interesting about Attack on Titan is what it says about standing up for yourself.

In the story, not being self-sacrificial ironically requires you to make sacrifices.

If Ymir had not helped Reiner and Bertolt, they would have been in a lot more trouble with Marley. In a way, if she had not gone with them, she would have been sacrificing them, in the sense that she would have been throwing them under the bus.

When Historia chooses to live for herself in the cavern, she screams about how she’ll happily throw humanity under the bus if it means saving herself.

That’s why she calls herself “the worst girl in history.”

As opposed to Krista, who is a “good girl.”

I think that’s what Isayama is going for here.

Krista is the “good girl” who’ll gladly take a bullet for you.

Historia is the “bad girl” who’ll gladly throw you overboard if it meant she didn’t have to debase herself.

Yeah, Historia later claimed she was in the moment when she said that, but that doesn’t mean much.

When you’re in the heat of the moment, and you’re acting on pure instinct, you’re likelier to reveal parts of yourself you wouldn’t otherwise.

Being in the moment doesn’t mean Historia doesn’t identify with what she said, it means she was speaking her mind with no filter.

In 130, Historia and Eren are superficially at odds with each other, but deep down Historia thinks Eren is right.

She doesn’t want to sacrifice herself, and I’m sure she feels she shouldn’t have to, just on principle.

The only reason she accepts this fate is because she feels she has to.

So when Eren asks Historia to not oppose him, and she refuses, he tells her she has it in her to do it because she’s “the worst girl in history.”

I think Historia is the kind of person who’d throw you under the bus if she knew it’d save what she values most: her friends, yes, but also herself.

But Historia is acting more like Krista, someone who’d throw their life away to save yours.

Eren is saying she needs to start acting like herself again.

He’s trying to remind Historia of who she is and what she used to think was most important to her.

(This scene is *so* misogynistic. I’m going to puke.)

The flashbacks in this chapter were presented as vignettes, so it’s hard to say how Eren’s scene with Historia ended.

One thing that stood out to me though was the clear through line that connected all the various scenes.

The first one is Eren talking to Yelena about Zeke’s plan.

Next scene is Eren and Floch talking about the real plan.

Then it’s Eren and Historia talking about the plan.

Then back to Eren and Floch for Eren’s reveal of what he’s really doing.

Back to Historia as Eren tries to win her over.

Then we cut to Zeke and Eren talking about Mikasa.

Finally, we go back to Historia.

This flow is important because we don’t know much about Eren’s talk with Historia, but I think we can tease out some clues based on what scenes we see when.

Historia is put on the spot. Eren has revealed his plan, and she opposes it. They argue back and forth, and we reach a point where Historia is at a loss for words, and doesn’t seem to know what to do.

Then we inexplicably cut to a conversation between Zeke and Eren.

A conversation about loyalty, affection, and standing by your friends.

The implications for what this hints at are huge.

Eren asks Zeke if Mikasa cares about him so much because of some Ackermann genetics.

Zeke replies there’s no proof of that, and Mikasa probably just loves him.

Finally, Historia speaks, and she asks Eren about getting pregnant.

She doesn’t go to such great lengths for Eren because she’s a slave!

She doesn’t subject herself to this because she’s being coerced!!

It’s because she L O V E S him ! ! !

Fuck this! Fuck me! Fuck everything!

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk 130 #snk spoilers #snk chapter 130 #eren jeager #Historia Reiss

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trickster-4 · 4 years

Text

Chapter 3

“Ehhh?!”

There was no impact on the memory from Amity’s actions thankfully, but Luz blushed at the sight and the sudden phantom sensations of her friend’s fingers stroking nonexistent ears on her scalp. Amity then noticed that both Luz and her rabbit self’s legs were twitching.

”Oh right this is you...Sorry..” Amity blushed before stopping and looking to Luz who was also blushing..

“It’s fine it wasn’t that bad.. L-Let’s just focus on why we’re here...”

“Curse the nerve endings in these ears.. Why must Edalin much be so good at reaching them!!”

”A-Apparently these memories are very important to you..” Amity tried to not snicker at the idea of the lord of black magic being turned into a rabbit because of a bet... She failed badly and started laughing at the thought of him sayin-

“Fear me!!!”

Luz blushed wanting to crawl under a rock for a long while. Normally she could laugh this off as well, but for some reason it felt terrifying that Amity was seeing this..

“Oh.. Sorry Luz..”

”It’s fine and it is funny.. I’m actually thankful that it was this and less blood and war..”

Edalin snuggled the rabbit closer to her face enjoying the feeling of the soft fur.. She was not a mage so unfortunately the complaints of Shabragnido the lord of darkness were unheard by her.

”Wow I was an angry little ball of fluff...”

“I know..” Amity nodded in agreement.

“I’m torn between having you boiled alive and having you made as my high priestes- yes yes right there scratch my belly!!”

”So where’s the problem?” Luz questioned they then looked up at towards the black temple. A mysterious hooded men and women were watching the girl as she played with the rabbit.. “What are those guys doing..”

”It seems our lord favors the girl for his sacrifice.. I can his presence hovering over this girl..”

“Indeed strange.. We’ve rarely ever seen nonmagical sacrifices. Perhaps this will be a new trend?”

”No... They wouldn’t..” Luz looked with horrified eyes as guards began to approach the girl.. She began to shake as they took hold of the girl causing her to drop the rabbit..

”Wait what are you imbeciles doing her? Get away from her... What wait can’t you hear me?”

“Our lord Shabragnido will be pleased with this..”

“Give her back you idiots!!”

The rabbit feebly tried to stop the guards he gnawed on one of the guard’s shoe doing his best to slow them down. He was kicked into the wall it’s skull was shattered.. Though seconds later it repaired itself easily..

“Damn our bet Ceifeed..”

Dark energy began to form around the rabbit only for it recede forcibly into it’s body.. He saw the flames of his temple ignite Edalin would be sacrificed in five minutes.. He Shabragnido the god of darkness was stuck trapped as a damn rodent and he couldn’t even save a child..

It infuriated him how he had been trapped with the nonmagical orphaned child. How he had been forced to comfort her on those cold nights.. It hurt that he began to feel for her.. It hurt to hear how she dreamed of one day being a witch.. He couldn’t stand to be so close to her when he been responsible for her village’s death and her enslavement.

Shabragnido had never felt guilt.. The time he had been forced to live with her had changed him in a fundamental way.. His purpose from his creation was clear remorseless destruction.. Atlantis was merely the result of a misbegotten bet..

And... perhaps he enjoyed the attention and worship and the empire had produced more than a few competent servants.. But that was all it was a formality a business. He had only ever taken true joy at watching as mountains crumbled as the people burned.. Yet the thought of Edalin suffering that fate. Something about that infuriated him tore at him at the place where only hate should dwell..

A spell began to form a new one never to be uttered by human beings.. He called to his true nature to his inner self beyond his current form...

“Wrath given form hate given substance.. I call to the deepest void to the bound one who seeks to be free.. Let our hate be one and our path be united.. Grant me all your power so that the skies may burn and the world may darken.. Till all my enemies are made ash, Resigno!!”

The rabbit was suddenly swallowed up in a sphere of crimson magic. The mere flesh was consumed as the god of black magic took on his true dark majesty. The people around him were terrified some bowed and prostrated themselves before their War God.. He cared even less of such bootlicking today..

Luz and Amity followed Luz’s past self to the temple they waited to see what would happen.

“LET THE GIRL GO!!”

The temple shook as his voice boomed.. There was silent whimpering that he could hear from his priests.. But there no one brave enough to him the truth the ceremony was over the girl was already dead.

He suddenly realized that he couldn’t sense Edalin’s lifeforce.. She was dead.. Shabragnido broke into his astral form before taking on a human form in the temple.. The girls followed quickly Luz’s eyes watered at the tragedy taking place and Amity tried her best to comfort her.. The head priestess recognized his appearance. He stood there for a moment standing in front of her body.. For once the blood that was spilled made him nauseous and infuriated him.

“Lord Shabranigdo I-“

Shabragnido watched with a cold satisfaction as the two priests who chose Edalin began to age. There was another priest holding the bloodied knife that had ended Edalin’s life he too suffered the same curse. They screamed and cried out for mercy until they became dust. Moments later the room was filled with silence after sometime the high priestess spoke.

“My lord..”

“Get out of the temple..”

“My lord?”

“Get out of the temple as of this moment you and the other priests are banished.. For the sake of years of good service I tell you this and you are to tell no one outside the priesthood and their families.. Leave Atlantis tonight.. I am going to burn this entire city to the ground.. As tribute to the forbidden mother…”

Her eyes widened at the breaking of the taboo. The mother of their patron gods was never to be mentioned on pain of utter annihilation. She was rumored to be more capricious and cruel than even Lord Shabragnido.

“I see… I wish you luck..”

The priestess and her servants followed them out of the sacrificial chambers.. He was alone now.

“It wouldn’t help.. Nothing sways her but entertainment.. Listen well mother my offer to you is this. I know you created me and Ceifeed to hate and kill each other.. I went against my purpose.. I bargained with him.. I will destroy this place that must offend you.. I will become your heartless destroyer.. And in return for these things I ask for one thing let Edalin live again and let her have her dreams..

Edalin’s body began to disappear into a golden mist a relief went through his chest.. A sign that his mother had taken his offer. Shabragnido got up and went forth becoming with each step the monster he was always meant to be. She would live once more though Atlantis would have to burn…

Moments later Luz and Amity watched as the temple came apart. In the sky Ceifeed and Shabragnido battled each other viscously. The gods tore into each other’s form’s with blue and crimson spells.. They stared at the carnage the gods wrought on the city they had given life to. The very patrons who had given these people wealth and magic were now destroying the very empire they had created.

Centuries of human progress, magical research, was being undone. The blasts from the two gods destroyed numerous buildings more than a few archmages attempted to protect their people to various levels of success.. All this because Shabragnido cared for one child..

“Shabragnido you are destroying everything we spent centuries building… Have you gone completely mad?!! It was tragedy what happened here and I had no intention to cause such a pain to you brother, but your “deal” with mother is insane..” The Azure dragon glared at his crimson brother. He would not budge in this matter his brother had to be stopped..

“Shut up you idiot your words tire me..”

You suffered deeply brother you lost a daughter.. I empathize with you… But I cannot let you give more grief to these children.. They were struggling to survive before our influence.. Before our Empire they had nothing. If you succeeded today they will be tossed back into the void with nothing..”

“I don’t give a damn.. Atlantis will fall..”

A sphere formed within Shabragnido’s hands a spell of immense destructive force gathers in seconds. “No!!” Luz finally screamed out.. “ Edalin wouldn’t want this please you have to stop this!!” Amity could only watch silently in horror as Shabragnido destroyed Atlantis…

The memories began to shift as they now stood in the ruins of Atlantis a mere shadow of itself.. Something wasn’t right Luz and Amity looked around sharing similar thoughts. Shabragnido kneeled bound by numerous spells and priestess.. Ceifeed was dying… In body and soul.. Still he had enough power to do this… He couldn’t kill Shabragnido too much of his power and strength had waned…

“Just do it..”

“Good bye brother..”

Luz and Amity both flinched at the sight as her past self was divided into seven pieces.. Those fragments became crimson energy that faded into nothing.. Ceifeed sighed tiredly. His priests and servants quickly approached him.

“My lord what will happen?”

“He will reincarnate one day after each of the fragments had passed with their human hosts through the cycle of reincarnation… I believe he will be a better leader next time..”

“My lord he killed countless people..”

“For the sake of the only person he ever truly cared for.. As a being of pure negative emotion that is a lot of progress.. I am certain the commingling with humans will balance out his hatred with love, compassion, and.. humanity.. I am dying Elaine..” Ceifeed began to cough as his body began to dissolve into pure azure magic. “Swear to me that you will care for Edalin as your own.. As I recall she shows much promise in black magic.. In fact I hear she is a prodigy..”

“Yes.. She is..”

“Good bye Elaine take care of her…”

“…..” Luz stood there for a while exhausted and mentally drained at the revelations she just experienced. Amity was also widened eyed at what she’d learned.. Apparently her crush destroyed Atlantis. That was a lot to take in.. The most advanced civilization was gone because of her.. Yet Amity saw that Luz was still the same person. These tragedies only showed her compassion and how different Luz was from her old self...

“Luz..”

“Yeah Amity?”

“You may share memories with Shabragnido.. You may have his powers and you may even share feelings on a number of things.. You may even share the same soul… But you aren’t that person..” Amity held Luz’s shoulder softly. “His actions aren’t yours and yours aren’t his.. This wasn’t your fault and when given the chance to kill you chose something better.. You’re not that version of yourself anymore. That Shabragnido died a long time ago.. Once we deal with these memories please let them rest..”

“Amity…” Luz’s eyes lit up and she slowly smiled..

“When we first met.. I was a different person.. Arrogant, Prideful, and reaally Insecure..” Amity blushed as she mentioned her past flaws but smiled as she saw Luz was close to giggling. “I grew and I changed I made amends.. It’s not the same.. But, even if you’re the same person this version of you isn’t responsible for what happened you’re kind, warm, and really outgoing for a dark lord..”

“Amity!!” Luz complained sarcastically, then smiled and laughed..

“You’re a different person Luz.. please give yourself some credit..”

Luz hugged Amity tightly causing her to blush. The two decided to enjoy that embrace for a while.. Moments later the scenery changed around them.. They now stood in a nice home filled with the smell of cooking fish.

“Edalin..” Elaine called to her adopted daughter a young spunky curious redhead girl.. She smiled at the sight of the girl creating a flame with ease. “Come now child it’s time for bed. You’ll have plenty of time to learn more magic tomorrow.”

“Yeah..”

“Remember Edalin. You’re a Clawthorne.. No matter what anyone says..” Elaine kissed her daughter’s forehead and gave her a tight hug… “Have a good night little owl..”

Moments later Luz and Amity found themselves back in Luz’s mind outside of her memories.. They stood there quiet speechless of about what they had just witnessed.. After a few minutes Amity finally spoke up. “Wow..”

#owl house #toh #the owl house #eda the owl witch #luz owl house #fanfic #slayers #spoilers #luz is shabranigdo

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inevitably-johnlocked · 5 years

Note

hi!! im wondering if you have any long (over 50k words) johnlock fics with no smut..? thank u !

Hi Nonny!

Ohhhh, gosh I ABSOLUTELY do! I love long emotional connection fics! I’ll stick to my K, G, and T-Rated fics since those I can guarantee has no smut, and I’ll also include M-Rated fics, so if you’re not okay with brief mentions of sex (not graphic details, just “the next morning after a love session” kind of description), then you can skip those :)

SMUT-FREE FICS OVER 50K W.

K to T-RATED

A Love with No Name Series by aceofhearts61 (G to M, 49,955 w. across 20 stories || Asexual Sherlock / Straight John, Est. Rel, Queerplatonic Relationship, Romance, Cuddling, Fluff, Platonic Romance, Domestics) – In which Asexual!Sherlock and Straight!John are platonically in love life partners.

An Experiment in Empathy Series by belovedmuerto (T, 62,397 w. across 13 stories || Empath AU || Psychic John, Psychic-by-Proxy Sherlock, Empathy, Psychic Bond, Romance / Bromance) – In which John is an empath, Sherlock is Sherlock, and an epic bromance happens. In the aftermath of The Great Game, John creates an unexpected bond between himself and Sherlock. Now they have to learn how to deal with it. John is better at this than Sherlock is.

You Have Drawn Red From My Hands by J_Baillier (T, 67,085 w., 17 Ch. || Three Garridebs, Heavy John Whump, Hurt / Comfort, Pining, Heavy Angst, Case Fic/Adventure, Slow Burn, Sick Fic, Injury, Guilt & Depression, Just Talk Already Please, Medical Realism, PTSD) – John getting injured leads Sherlock on a path of guilt and revelations.

The Green Blade by verityburns (T, 72,929 w., 15 Ch. || Casefic, Bromance) – As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit…

Darkling, I Listen by You_Light_The_Sky (T, 73,254 w., 8 Ch. || Fairy Tale AU || Loosely Based on Beauty and the Beast, Magical Realism, Suicidal Themes, Romance, Creepiness, Adventure) – No one who enters old London ever comes out. They say that the beast devours them. When his sister disappears, John ventures into the dead zone beyond the wall, and finds a brilliant madman under a terrible curse… Part 1 of Darkling I Listen + Extras, Deleted Scenes

A Case of Identity by jkay1980 (T, 91,009 w., 22 Ch. || Post-TRF, Fake Relationship, Case Fic) – John and Sherlock have succeeded in rebuilding their friendship after Sherlock’s fake suicide, but an unusual case puts their relationship to the test. They pretend to be engaged and attend a marriage counseling workshop. Under the pretext of the case, Sherlock turns out to be a master of seduction, and John finally learns he might like Sherlock more than he thought. Slowly, John discovers that he loves Sherlock not only in a friendly, brotherly way, but both men have to fight their own demons before they can think of taking their relationship to a new level…

Definitions by siennna (T, 101,528 w., 12 of ? Ch. || Dev. Rel., Pining, Fluff and Romance, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Fluff, Cuddles) – Sherlock’s journey in defining his flat mate and stumbling through the muddled world of emotion. {{This feels complete; the chapter count is listed as ? but I feel like it is done}}

between each beat are words unsaid by darcylindbergh, hudders-and-hiddles (T, 107,998 w., 215 Ch. || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending) – On their wedding night, John and Sherlock gift each other with the things they each said when the other could not hear, the things they each put down where the other could not see: a collection of writings that illustrate the way their love for one another has grown over the years. Part 1 of between each beat

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON by skyefullofstars (T, 110,758 w., 24 Ch. || H/C, Kidnapping, Angst, Violence, Whump, Nightmares, Murder, Drug Addiction, Torture) – While Sherlock grapples with his new-found feelings for John Watson, he faces a very real threat: John’s kidnapping and shooting at the hands of James Moriarty. And the knowledge that the love of his life is being used to test an addictive drug - at the risk of John’s sanity and life. Prequel to THE BOYS OF BAKER STREET. Part 1 of THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON

The Swan Triad Series by Pennin_Ink (T, 121,660 w. across 3 works || Swan Lake AU || Magical / Fairy Tale AU, Romance, Falling in Love, Pining, Psychological Torture, Transformation) – Sherlock and John grow up spending every summer together. Their mothers’ attempts to play matchmaker only fuel their mutual resentment and scorn. But then, one summer.

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn’t have much choice. There’s only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

Fallen Series by Belladonna_Q, mamishka (T, 222,094 w. across 3 works || Winglock || Angel!John, Angels & Demons, Faes, Christianity, Changelings) – In a world where myth, mystery, and the supernatural flourish beneath the veneer of modern civilization, Sherlock is a master of magic as well as science and deduction. But there are some things that he cannot see, riddles he cannot unravel, even when they walk right beside him in the form of one John Watson…

M-RATED

The Homecoming Series by sussexbound (M, 51,744 w. across 12 stories, WIP || Domestics, PTSD, Love Confessions, Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling, Jealousy, Family Issues) – Sometimes home is all you need. After three years of horror, betrayals, and crushing loss, John and Sherlock find their way back home to one another, and together find new footing in a world that has changed forever.

John Watson’s Twelve Days of Christmas by earlgreytea68 (M, 53,464 w., 14 Ch. || Christmas, Holmes Family, Fake Relationship, Alternate First Meeting, Falling in Love, Fluff and Angst, Hardcore Pining) – It’s the holiday season. John Watson needs money. Sherlock Holmes needs something else.

Wars We Fought, Things We’re Not by blueink3 (M, 55,204 w., 10 Ch. || Post S3 / Post TAB, Parentlock, Fluff & Angst, Kidnapping, Whump, Post-TAB, UST/URT, 3G, Mild Peril, Slow Burn, Couple for a Case, Protective Mycroft, Infant Death Pre-Story, Friends to Lovers) – Five months after John’s world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for.

floating through a dark blue sky by Lediona (M, 58,966 w., 15 Ch. || Notting Hill AU || POV John, Celebrity Sherlock, First Date / Time / Kiss, Past Drug Addiction, Angst with a Happy Ending) – Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant – but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day.

The Burning by SrebrnaFH (M, 60,658 w., 24 Ch. || Reverse Reichenbach, Suicide, Depression, Hurt Sherlock / John, Separation, BAMF John, Good Big Brother Mycroft, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Fake Character Death, Rescue Mission, Reconciliation / Reunion, Hospitalization, Marriage Proposal, Illnesses, Physical Therapy, Happily Ever After) – Something went very, very wrong. John had seemed, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. Sherlock had never predicted something like THIS might have happened. Not in his worst nightmares. He was the lousiest friend ever, apparently. At least Mycroft found him something to occupy his mind with, so that he didn’t have to go back to 221B and stare at the walls and the chair, where John Watson would never sit again.

Bedtime Universe by Liketheriver (M, 65,173 w. across 2 stories || Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Angst, Humour, Case Fic) – John’s POV during Season 2 and beyond when Sherlock takes up semi-permanent residence in his bed. A collection of codas and missing scenes wrapped up into one long fic and topped with a bow that takes the story beyond Reichenbach and into happy territory once more.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sickfic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Summit Fever by J_Baillier (M, 78,802 w., 18 Ch. || Mountain Climber AU || POV John, Angst, Tragedy, Suicidal Ideation, The Himalayas, Mountain Guide / Doctor John, Mount Climber Sherlock, Loneliness, Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Injured Sherlock / Sherlock Whump, Pining John) – After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he’s a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover’s trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world’s highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute?

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w., 21 Ch. || Canon Divergence, Post-TRF, John’s Sexuality, S3 Rewrite, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, John’s Gay) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #t rated fics #long fics #50k fics #my fic recs #Anonymous

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syxjaewon · 4 years

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part 2 ; vaster than empires, and more slow

the ship that hovers over the window of serenity’s front view aperture is a calamity, a disaster, a catastrophe, shattered into too many pieces to count, spread across about a mile-wide radius, its engine in three different places, its wings shredded like a tortured bird, metal and glass and fiber floating cold and empty through space. the light from distant kalidasa casts monstrous shadows, makes beasts and nightmares from every angle, giving more fear than illumination, and jaewon reminds himself that this is what it means to be doused in the radiance of a vengeful goddess, a hungry queen, a bloodthirsty sun.

henry and harper are on the bridge with him, standing apart from each other, their eyes locked on the scene before them just as steadily as jaewon’s, even if their sight isn’t as mechanically enhanced as his is, just as intent on the panorama, sifting through what’s really there and what might be illusion, what’s part of ‘the emerald dragon’ and what’s part of the cygni contra system. he has the scanner going, beeping out a radius around them, the signal desperate to pick up signs of life amidst the debris, but it’s difficult, he reasons, for any sort of wave to capture those readings, because of the asteroids, because of the meteors, because the belt itself is a hodgepodge of minerals and stone and every sort of interference imaginable.

that’s the only reason they’re not picking up anything.

“jaewon,” harper tries and he can feel her eyes cut to him, but he ignores her.

“we need to get around all this mess, there’s too much for the scanner to pick up on.” he moves serenity slowly through the cascade of rock and rubble, careful not to bump into anything larger than she is, mindful of the occasional avalanche storms that fall through this area. the cygni contra system is known for its turbulent formations, boulders knocking into each other, causing rifts and bursts, sending hundreds of smaller stones spewing outwards like bullets, hazardous to passing ships and nosy neighbors. he’s endangering them all, and his serenity, just by being here, by lingering here.

“we can’t get closer than this, we’ll hit something,” henry’s voice is solid, logical even if jaewon doesn’t want that right now. it’s true enough and the captain hates him a little bit for saying it.

but he needs to get closer, needs to see it clearer, needs to reach his hand out and thread his fingers through the remnants, touch the bow of this derelict, feel its pulse, feel its heartbeat, feel the cold from its corpse; to be sure, to be certain, to be absolutely fucking without a gorram doubt, because he cannot sit all the way back here and wrap his mind around the loss of this wreckage and everything it housed inside it. his chest churns like a sputtering engine, gold eyes glued upwards, every nerve in every cell in his body aching, yearning, tensing.

but henry continues, “we’ll need to take one of the shuttles, we could fly those into tighter spaces than serenity.” he and jaewon exchange a glance, heavy with the understanding that neither of them could stand back to something like this and jaewon remembers that henry knew saito for as long as he knew vera, working on the ship for a year before jaewon had returned from the war. saito is nowhere near as igniting as vera was, measured and calculated, unphased and immutable against the verse, but jaewon knows from experience that that’s never been something to stop henry from connecting with a person before.

he shifts the gears to pull back slightly, and then burns the engine at a low, parking the firefly a safe distance away, where the asteroids are small and few and she has a better chance of floating undisturbed. “harper, you stay here and man the controls, in case something large and threatening tries to poke a hole my ship.”

and just then, something pings on the radar, faint at first but getting stronger, as though it’s spinning into their net. life.

the captain is out of his chair and down the bridge steps like a gust of wind, into the hall and flying down the stairs to the cargo bay where the exosuits are hanging, his boots thundering across the metal as he runs, echoing through the corridors like serenity’s heartbeat pumping back to life. he meets henry in the left shuttle, already flipping on the dials and revving up the engine, lights flickering on and a hum vibrating through their shoes, and jaewon shuts and locks the door.

he turns on the communicator still connected to serenity’s frequency and tells harper, “give us the coordinates of that beacon.”

“jaewon, there’s two now. in two separate places. i think they’re escape pods.”

he turns away from the comm as henry pulls the shuttle away from it’s hook up at serenity’s side, and sheds his coat before stepping into one of the exosuits, fitting the legs on first and pulling it up over his pants, attaching the straps, locking the buckles, syncing the gear. “send them both. send whatever signs of life you get.”

jaewon dresses as henry drives towards the coordinates, wondering who else was in that ship with saito, who else might have survived, might have escaped, might have dodged death in its most horrific format. how many were on board, what was the ship for? why was saito driving it? what were they running from so distraught that they felt the only way to survive was a suicide attempt through a volatile asteroid belt? saito should have known better than this, he should have been smarter than this, even jaewon doesn’t peel his way through death clouds just to shake a tail-- there have got to be safer ways than that. how hopeless had they become?

there’s no definitive reason jaewon should think that saito is in any of those pods, but he’ll check every last one of them to find out.

so they spend the better part several hours collecting escape pods scattered throughout the area, focusing on those first before getting to the emerald dragon itself, finding three with life still strong inside and bringing them into the shuttle. jaewon is about to open them up and wake whoever might still be breathing in there, to check if any of them are saito, but henry doesn’t let him, reminding him that the life-support in the pod might be all that’s keeping them alive and they might need doc’s medical attention immediately; they should wait until they’re back on serenity.

most of the time though, they are sifting through tragedy, coming across too much ruin, too much skeleton, too many fragments. they find over a dozen dead pods and jaewon insists on opening every single one, no matter how mangled or destroyed the bodies inside them are, his eyes hungry, searching, clawing through the probabilities, the statistics, breathing a little bit harder after every one. saito isn’t in them. his fury climbs, his frustration tearing at the edges of his vision, the sharpness of him amplifying, his impatience growing. if he’s not here, he’s in the emerald dragon, but when they search the emerald dragon, and he’s not in there either. he finds more bodies, looking at them all carefully, memorizing the horror, the savagery, the looks in their frozen faces, their wayward limbs, the way the verse has swallowed them whole, the way none of them look like who he’s looking for. food for the reavers now.

for a moment, the gold in his irises peer up at the depthless black sky, dots of burning stars blinking down at him, his kin, his heart, his love, everything he’s always ever wanted, more freedom and space than any human could ever need, and he feels it yawn over him, extend outward from him, impossible, impossible, impossible. his sight is mechanically enhanced, but nothing can reach out that far. did the universe consume saito? is his body somewhere out there, lost in all that freedom, in all that void?

“we still have three pods,” henry attempts to console him with. “there’s still a chance.”

jaewon doesn’t say anything, doesn’t mention about the odds of that chance, the impracticality of it, but they return to the shuttle and then return to serenity, his blood boiling the entire time, churning through his veins, every second stretching like a thousand years, every moment unbearable even as he bears it in absolute silence. he thinks about valluria’s sands, about valluria’s rites, the sound of singing and the scent of spice, about the pyres they make for the dead, the long desert, the long night, the jan’hazal.

when the doors open, adrien is already there, him, harper, and the little robot bringing the body trays with them into the cargo bay railing to better transport the survivors off the shuttle and down into the medbay area. “we still don’t have a lot of supplies, you know,” he warns the captain, something heavy and born of war-time supply-suffering in his voice. he’s used to this, but they both know what it’ll mean.

“hopefully whoever’s in here, they’re not in too bad shape.” he begins hauling the pods off each other, unstacking them. “henry, go fly the ship out of this belt, would you? we need to get out of here before things get tight.”

the first pod opens up to a woman with black hair and only half an arm and half a leg, passed out from the blood loss no doubt, her wound sealed rudimentarily by the pod’s freezing measures, the skin around the gashes burned and charred. jaewon curses and helps the doctor get her down to the bay, stung by how much she looks like sonmi, small and helpless and quiet. he doesn’t need adrien to tell him that there’s little they can do for her, a few bandages and some tourniquets cutting off her likelihood of bleeding to death, but doing nothing for the probability of an invading infection that’s already set in.

harper and jaewon leave her to adrien and his robot to deal with for a moment and head back up to the pods, opening the second one to find an older man, white hair, white robes, also passed out but without any visible, obvious trauma, his coma a possible side effect of the pod’s life-support. together, they bring him down to the medbed as well, setting him up on the side gurney carefully, harper getting to work on hooking him to an iv.

jaewon doesn’t wait for her, doesn’t pause for her, can’t hear her or adrien over the rushing in his ears, the blood in his veins, the adrenaline coursing through him like a storm; one pod left. he gets back up the stairs to it, unlatching it, unhooking it, opening it, his fingers claws, his teeth biting at the brim of his mouth, everything singeing, everything hanging above his head.

he pulls the hood up and feels the universe freeze, his eyes pinned down to the body of a boy, young, thin, unconscious, not saito, and all the stars around jaewon’s head begin to fall, begin to cascade, the sound of his own heaving breaths too loud in his ears, his muscles sore, his chest curling. not saito. there are no more chances left, no more options, no empty derelict left to sort through, no more pods to open and pour himself down into, pour his hope and his hopelessness down into.

how is he going to give saito’s ashes back to the desert, when he doesn’t have saito’s body?

suddenly the boy inhales like he’s never tasted air before, his eyes widening, his mouth opening, his arms jutting out, and jaewon realizes, a little belatedly as the other reaches out for him, that he’s holding a gun. “mittaga iso!” the boy screams, his hands lashing out, striking jaewon in the face with the blaster handle, shoving him backwards as he crawls out of the pod and rolls across the metal plating of serenity’s platform.

jaewon falls back but he’s quick to draw his own pistol, aiming it at the ungrateful whelp as he tastes blood in his mouth, his lip probably cut, his face immediately morphing into a rage, into a snarl, into a blaze. he reasserts his balance, standing up and stepping forward, glaring down at this fool who’s just woken up from a drench-coma like a hurricane.

the boy is dressed in too many robes, green and gold fabric drowning him as he struggles to stand, the pod’s efforts to keep him alive making him wobbly and woozy and off-center, like a newborn deer straining to bring himself upright. he sheds what he can of the mantle and uses the railing grip to pull himself up, too obviously disoriented to be any real threat, even with the blaster in his hand. “do meymasa?” he demands and jaewon sneers.

“you’re welcome for the rescue, you gorram idiot.” the captain lowers his gun even though the kid doesn’t follow suit, but at least he’s holding it the wrong way, his fingers wrapped around the barrel, confirming jaewon suspicion that he’s too oblivious to be wary of.

now the boy finally looks over at jaewon, dark eyes unsteady and unsure, absorbing him in the space their in, the cargo bay opening up around them and below them and harper coming up carefully from the stairs, her hand on her gun as well, although still holstered. “are you,” he tries to speak, clearing his throat, every dreadful, chaotic, confused emotion playing out across his features. “are you the other vallurian? the desert rat?”

“you don’t get to call me that,” jaewon tells him definitively. “my name is yang jaewon, i’m the captain here. you--”

“where saito?” the kid seems like he’s having a hard time breathing, a hard time thinking, a hard time standing by the looks of the way his hands are gripping the handrail, begging for it to hold him up.

hearing saito’s name come from someone else, a stranger, strikes at jaewon’s core like a blow, setting his nerves on fire, twisting in his gut like a bad omen. “that’s what i’d like to ask you. he’s the one who called me.”

“he told me he would try to get into a pod, he told me…” he blinks hard down towards the cargo area, as though remembering is painful. “did you wake him from one of the other pods?”

jaewon chooses to skip right over that. “how do you know him?”

the kid gathers more of himself together, as though he’s dragging shattered pieces of himself back into his body, as though he’s tethering broken limbs back to the core of his chest with tight fingers and unfocused eyes. “he works for my family. for my brother. he was gathering intelligence for us, he was in the imperial palaces when we were attacked.”

“palaces?”

the kid’s voice begins speeding up, like the words just falling out of him, vomiting up without hindrance, without delay. “we were escaping through space but they caught up to us and tracked us through the asteroid belt and i told them we should just use the mechs to get them off our trail, to fight back, to save everyone, but they fired on us too soon and saito forced me into that pod and-- and i could have beat them back, i could have fought them off, i’ve trained, i’ve worked hard, but saito-- hit me and shoved me in, and i just--”

“stop!” jaewon howls at him, cutting the waterfall of sound off, cutting the bullshit nonsense in half, none of this making any sense, none of this meaning anything to him, his voice ringing out with enough authority and power that the shorter male finally manages to look over at him solidly, just for a moment. “just stop.”

but it doesn’t last long for this guy, his mind still spinning, still spiraling, remembering too much and not enough. “wait, i have-- he gave me-- wait.” he stumbles down to the floor again on his way back to the pod, dropping the blaster and hunting through the corners and crevices of the bed. “saito gave me something, said to show it to you.” he roots around like his life depends on it and perhaps it does, perhaps it would if jaewon’s headache made him more homicidal than exhausted, if the gun in his hand stayed there instead of slipping back into its holster.

the other male gasps slightly and holds a small digital stick up towards jaewon like an offering, like a relic, like salvation, like the answer to every question they both have, all two million of them, and jaewon stares at it for a moment, flashing back to the last missive saito had sent him, the one passed on from vera, last farewells, final goodbyes. he snatches it up quickly, taking it in one hand and grabbing him by the collar of his tunic with his other, turning and dragging the kid along with him down the trail, thick combat boots thudding. they pass harper, pass the doors into the aft passage on the top level of the ship, the kid tugging and struggling the whole way, but too weak and unstable, too deranged and floundering, to break free.

they pass henry on the way, henry who is stunned, henry who is startled, henry who is looking at the kid with something remarkable in his eyes. “endymion? is that you?” he asks, his brows furrowing, but jaewon doesn’t know what that means, doesn’t allow them a moment to reconcile, doesn’t give the kid time to reply back, hauling his ass through to the mess hall and only letting go once they’ve gotten to the table and jaewon has inserted the driver stick into his tablet.

endymion, or whatever his name is, clatters into the chairs, his fingers curling and clinging to them, and finally, finally, when he looks back at jaewon, there’s a fire there, anger, wrath, his temper striking as his teeth shine. “how dare you! what the hell is wrong with you?!”

but jaewon ignores him, jaewon ignores way he hates him, jaewon ignores the way harper and henry come into the room behind them, all eyes pinned to the length of his figure, the way he sets up his screen and lets the thing play, whirling and buzzing until it comes into focus. he ignores everything else in the universe right now as saito’s face comes into focus.

“jaewon,” saito addresses in the video recording, the setting familiar to what jaewon had seen only hours before; the older man in a bridge cockpit, flying a ship that’s breaking apart around him, things crashing and blaring and flashing red. “my transmission cut out, so i’m making this recording and giving it to endymion to give to you, because he’s the one that has to survive; i’m going to get him on a pod as soon i finish this. it’s important, alright? his name is endymion adakiel qalaedes jade fatherstone, he’s--” the ship in the video shudders and saito winces and grinds her around an object in his front view. they’re still running. “he’s the last of the zephyrian dynasty. i’ve been working for their government for three years now, for his older brother anjadakar, against angelan insurgents, and then last night everything went to hell--”

the picture cuts out a bit and buzzes as the ship takes another beating and in jaewon’s peripheral, he spots endymion shaking his head, his face dark, his eyes dark, confusion growing stronger. “no, that’s not-- i’m not the last… my brother was--”

“it’s the alliance, jaewon,” saito interrupts and the word ricochets through his chest like a bullet in a hollow, metal room, clanging around like a curse in his ears. “the alliance and angelan forces combined, that’s who’s chasing us now.” behind saito, jaewon can hear men yelling, people falling, screaming, dying. “i’m going to do my best to get out of this, but i need you to keep him on your ship, until he’s safe.”

“what?” both jaewon and endymion snap simultaneously, neither of them very happy about that idea.

“i promised his mother i’d do everything i can, and you, jaewon, you’re everything i can. he has to stay hidden, from everything, it’s important. i don’t have time to explain things right now, but--” again a crash, again turmoil, again convulsing, saito’s eyes meeting jaewon’s through the space, through the timelapse, through the havoc. “do this for me! i’ll contact you when i can.”

and then for the second time today, the veil between them goes completely black.

absolute silence descends through room as jaewon stares, burning, at his tablet, the equipment resting dark and empty in his grip, and a strange, maddening urge to shake it back awake rises inside him, to force it into telling him more, to force it into revealing saito more.

“no,” endymion says after the pause. “no no no no no, no! no, that’s not-- no you have to take me back, i can’t stay here, i can’t-- captain.” he reaches a fist into jaewon’s sleeve and jaewon shakes him off violently, the two of them glaring at each other, feral and vicious, neither of them backing off, neither of them any less of a storm. “i have to go back to zephyr!”

jaewon doesn’t even know what to say to that, his eyes blazing, his last nerve raw.

“i have to, my people are dying, my brother-- he’s still there, my sisters and my mother-- you have to take me back!”

“i have to think.”

“no! i can’t stay here, they need me!” the boy says it like a command, like an order, and jaewon nearly shoots him dead just for the insolence of it.

suddenly however, adrien is here-- when had he arrived?-- his brow creased in concern, his hands warily outstretched towards the newcomer. “endymion? you need to calm down, you’re going into shock.”

endymion acts like he hadn’t even heard him, shivering and half-insane, infuriated and stuttering all over his words, but angry, angry, angry. “they’re going to kill my father, everyone in the capital city is tied to the rocks, if they bomb the stronghold, everyone will die-- i have to be there, i have to save--”

“you need to breathe.” adrien, steady as ever.

without warning, jaewon throws his tablet hard against the wall, hearing it smash and crack against serenity’s metal, quickly stepping around endymion’s panic and adrien’s pressure, the intensity of the room too heightened, too thick, too choking. he heads for the door, his fists wound tightly, his jaw clenched, the sun seeping out of him through every toxic pore, the venom of his aura flammable enough to destroy a planet.

“captain! i have to get back to zephyr!”

“jae?” he hears harper.

“i need to think.” he doesn’t look back at her, he doesn’t look back at any of them, the mess of them, the tangle of them, even as endymion, his newest charge, suffocates under anxiety and disbelief, collapsing to the floor in the heap adrien warned him about, his eyes rolling back, his teeth locked together, angry, angry, angry.

*********

the room is much too cold, but that’s the least of his worries now.

he hangs by his wrists in a nearly strangled position, his shoulders in a constant war to keep from pressing too hard against his neck, to keep from cutting off his own air supply even as blood drips into his eye and down from his nostril and into his clothes. he doesn’t think they’ve shattered any ribs yet, but they’ve bruised him plenty, broken his nose, busted his lips, given him enough to throb and ache over for a good long while, even though he knows they’re not finished. men like this are never finished, alliance dogs like this are never satisfied.

he spits blood down onto the floor just as the door opens and light floods into the dimly lit cell, the force of it blinding him, making him wince, until he can blink up at the silhouette of a tall man in a grey-cut coat, the lines of him sharp and precise as a drawing, as a knife, as a nightmare. “saito kyoji,” the low baritone announces to the singular recipient. “my name is salathiel godkiller. it’s time you and i had a conversation.”

#verse two. endymion #backstory #this is the fall of the emerald dragon

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cho-sekiei · 7 years

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FFXV, characters and storytelling

This is an answer I wrote to a comment on one of my fics on Ao3. I thought I’d keep it here for reference. It basically summarises my views about FFXV writing, what worked and what really really didn’t. I apologise in advance for the ranting.

(Warning: contains spoilers, lots and lots of spoilers)

Right, so I'll try to summarise because otherwise we're going to be here all day, but my take on it is that they've done a wonderful job creating the characters, fleshing them out and making them believable, following stereotypes just far enough that it was easy and familiar to fall in love with them but not so far that individual characters couldn't surprise you or come into their own. They've built up the relationships slowly with a myriad of little interactions and made sure the player got invested and attached. From that side of things, FFXV is brilliant. The problem is that they seem to have thought they could get away with a half finished poorly justified story because of it. They were betting that the attachment the player has for the characters will keep them involved despite poor background development and plot holes. And in a way, they were right. I love the game, but it's a shame they didn't take care of the plot with the same dedication they gave to the characters and the gameplay. The 'plot' is a series of twists you're asked to accept as you go that have little links in between them and are never fully explained. I'm not going to go into details here because I try to avoid posting spoilers in the comments but all the revelations about Prompto, Luna, etc. made me go: 'wait, what, how?'. And then I was left wondering because you got no more information or development beyond the facts. It was deeply frustrating.

Now if we try to analyse all this a bit further, there are several issues. To start with, there's no foreshadowing, no warning as to what is coming. I remember playing Red Dead Redemption and from the start you know that story cannot end well. You still hope and you go through the motions but deep down, you know. And when the end comes, you shatter and you sob and it's horrible but you don't feel betrayed because that was the story they were telling from the start and you knew about it. 'I am Setsuna' handled it differently by telling you from the start (and making their main character aware of that fact as well) that this was a journey towards an unavoidable death, and the game was about sadness and fate, but also that the aim of the journey towards was to understand why that death was necessary and accept it. If we think about Mass Effect, they didn't really tell you the main character had to die - and they bring him/her back form the dead anyway within the series - but what they did is build the world and the story beyond the characters (and the characters were brilliantly done in that game too). You were hoping you could survive the end game but if you didn't, you knew it was worth it, because you had been shown what was at stake. You had seen thousands of people being liquified to make a new Reaper, you'd seen mindless zombies being created out of innocents, you'd seen entire colonies wiped out and harvested, stopping this, all of it, was worth your life a thousand times over, there was no hesitation about it. It made sense. You could make that choice for yourself as the player, you could balance fates.

All those approaches are okay, because they build the emotional awareness of the player to the world as well as to the characters. My biggest pet peeve with FFXV is that they didn't follow the basic 'show, don't tell' approach which is the most powerful way to tell a story in any medium. If Mass Effect had only told the player 'oh the Reapers will kill everything if you don't die', and then expected you to sacrifice yourself, you'd have felt shortchanged. But they not only told you that, they showed you the truth of the horrors the Reapers were bringing. FFXV basically only told you 'oh nights are getting longer and there are deamons outside when it's dark'. Yet, even after the capitulation and destruction of Insomnia, you didn't see the human cost, you didn't see refugees on the roads, you didn't see people dying at the hands of the Empire. You didn't find burnt villages that have been ravaged in one night. Jared dies off screen, and the grief is only short lived, Talcott brightens up once you give him a couple of cactuar models. Even in chapter 14, after ten years of daemons basically owning the land, Hammerhead is pretty much the same, all of the characters are still alive and seem to be faring fairly well. The situation is not great, but it certainly doesn’t appear terrible or desperate. Again the cost and the horror are hidden. So when a few minutes later the ending happens, the player didn't sign up for that. They've kept the game upbeat and bright until the last few chapters and then rained down gloom and tragedy, but without even bothering to try and make it believable. This is not a clever manipulation of the player or a surprise ending, this is bad storytelling. Pure and simple.

Characters are important and I forgive FFXV a lot thanks to how good their characters are, but characters can't make up a story on their own, we need to know about their hardships, about their world, about what is at stake. And from my point of view, that's where it went wrong. The player is (vaguely) told what is at stake but cannot believe it or get behind it because everything they've been shown throughout the game is in contradiction with it. And you will always believe what you see before what you’ve been told. So here you are, that’s my take on FFXV. I love the game. But it could have been a lot better with a bit of writing care. Unfortunately that’s where lots of games fail to invest appropriately and as a gamer who loves stories, it’s a bit depressing.

#ffxv #reference #writing #storytelling #gaming

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swipestream · 5 years

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New Release Roundup, 1 December 2018: Science Fiction

Balboa takes on all comers in war, computer hackers crack the human brain, a near-immortal alien bumbles through galactic politics, and Britain’s fleets take to space once more in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction.

Bound by Honor (Vigilante #4) – Terry Mixon and Glynn Stewart

An enemy of newfound strength. A friend gone missing in the night. A threat that can be ignored no more.

Brad Madrid, Commodore of the Vikings Mercenary Company, has once again been drawn into the war against the resurgent Cadre. Called into action in battles across the Solar System, from the fogs of Venus to the ice fields of Ceres, he faces deadly enemies at every turn.

In the midst of the chaos, Brad learns that his Agency contact and partner, Kate Falcone, has gone missing before she could deliver the evidence of treason she carried. With millions of lives at stake, finding her cannot be his first priority, but he searches as he goes.

Then an old enemy shares a poisonous gift as they flee from battle: the Cadre doesn’t have Kate Falcone. They know who does, however, and the hints they give Brad lead him to the one place he thought he would never make war…

Empire Ascendant (Road To Empire #2) – Dietmar Arthur Wehr

The grand experiment of a democratic Commonwealth of Star Nations has failed. With colony after colony leaving the Commonwealth, Earth finds itself in desperate straits as ecological disaster and mass starvation looms in the near future. The collapse of the Commonwealth means there’s now a power vacuum but no shortage of ruthless egos looking to fill that vacuum. Will it be the Republic of Corona, the most prosperous and populous colony world or a resurgent Earth under a messianic leader or perhaps a power-hungry interstellar corporation?

The ten year old Tau Ceti Empire is at a critical junction. The power vacuum left over from the collapse of the Commonwealth has been filled by five multi-planet star nations, the TCE being one of them. If the other four join forces and attack the TCE, it will be overwhelmed and crushed. But the longer Empress Brandenburg waits, the bigger the difference in military strength becomes. She must make plans soon because the leaders of the other four are already making theirs.

Who will ultimately stand astride a unified human star empire?

Hard Luck Hank: Dumber Than Dead (Hard Luck Hank #7) – Steven Campbell

Hank is getting married!

The space station Belvaille has become home to a species of actors. The newest edition to the Post Colmarian Confederation are the Damakan race. As a species they are capable of “broadcast empathy.” Their acting skills are so powerful they are able to make people believe their portrayals are literally happening—even over remote transmission.

Belvaille, with its access to powerful radio telescopes, becomes an entertainment powerhouse, cranking out Damakan dramas and tragedies across the empire. As the city modifies is resources to accommodate the new cash cow, Hank is hired to protect important actors by the city’s premier talent agent: his butler Cliston.

But the good times don’t last as Damakans start getting murdered and whole productions are sabotaged and even outright attacked. The Navy threatens to get involved as their favorite tele programs are interrupted and Garm, the Adjunct Overwatch of the city, enlists Hank to find the source of the violence and put an end to it.

Hank fears his own betrothed is in danger as the city gets dragged into a gang war of which no one knows the cause.

Make Science Fiction Fun Again – Jon Del Arroz

Do you miss the days when science fiction stories meant fun, crazy ideas? When a short fiction collection would entertain you and wow you with its strange, bold worlds? Then you’ll love the leading Hispanic voice in Science Fiction’s debut short fiction collection. With influences ranging from Heinlein, to McCaffrey, to Burroughs, these short stories run a gambit of telling unique stories that couldn’t be published by a major publisher today.

Inside, you’ll find tales of fighting monsters on alien planets, Nazi soldiers stumbling into a futuristic war where all life is at stake, AI coming to life and inhabiting a sexbot’s body, baseball on the moon, and more. It also features an introduction by Castalia House blogger and fan favorite, Daddy Warpig and the first collaboration between Jon Del Arroz and S. Misanthrope in “Unsafe (In) Space”.

Read it now and together we can make science fiction full of wonder again, we can make science fiction entertaining again, and we can Make Science Fiction Fun Again!

Para Bellum (Ark Royal #13) – Christopher Nuttall

On her last mission, HMS Invincible discovered an alien threat beyond human understanding: a sentient virus that has already absorbed a number of intelligent races into its multitude and now intends to do the same to humanity. Defeat means the end of everything, the end of existence as nothing more than mindless host-bodies, the end of humanity and its alien allies alike. The stakes could not be higher.

As a deeply divided humanity struggles to prepare a defence, with enemies inside and outside the human sphere just lurking to strike, Invincible is sent deep into alien space on what should have been a simple reconnaissance mission. But, as Captain Shields and his crew begin their mission, it rapidly becomes clear that a juggernaut is bearing down on Earth …

… And, no matter what they do, they may never make it home again.

A Pillar of Fire by Night (Carerra Series #7) – Tom Kratman

Carrera’s held off his enemies coming by sea from the north, in the process dealing the naval and amphibious forces of the Zhong Empire a stinging defeat. The Zhong won’t soon forget the blood-stained waters and the heaped up bodies on the shores of Balboa’s Isla Real.

Now, though, his adopted country of Balboa is under assault from the east, from the south, from the west, from the air, and from space. The Zhong, smarting from the butchery around the island, have bounced back and forced a lodgment east of the capital. Their lodgment is still a-building but when it is done Carrera can expect several hundred thousand brave and determined Zhong to show up on his barely defended flank.

It’s beginning to look like the game is up for Balboa and Patricio Carrera.

But Carrera’s been planning this war for fifteen years. He certainly hopes his enemies think they’re winning.

The Raygin War – Larry Gerovac

In order to defend against an alien invasion by an advanced race that evolved from Carrion beetles, the military put all its hope into a single person. He’s an old school soldier who started his career as a ground pounder in the Sniper Corps. Mac has been involved in about every conflict the military has participated in.

His skill as a sniper earned him the respect of every soldier who ever worked with him. He is a self taught killer. On the battlefield he has no equal. No one knows his actual body count, but everyone has a story about his skills. Whether it was killing the opponent in hand-to-hand combat, killing them with a weapon, or just plain old out maneuvering them Mac was the best the military had ever seen. If there was a conflict somewhere in the universe you could bet Mac was in the middle of it.

In order to use Mac’s skills to the utmost the Vice Admiral reinstated the old military rank of commodore for him. In times of war a commodore out ranks the vice admiral and even the elected president of the United Federation of Planets. When the Raygin war starts Mac is forced to initiate the War Powers Act making him the most powerful human ever.

Will Mac’s experience and talent be enough to neutralize the alien invasion? All is not what it seems.

Save Point: Upload – Matthew Siege

Adam Harris’s name has just appeared on a top secret list of extraterrestrial origin. Unbeknownst to him, he’s one of a handful of individuals capable of implementing a Save Point, a static moment in time he’s able to revisit over and over upon death.

It’s a good thing, too. Brain cancer was turning into a real drag…

The government owns the list though, and they’ve wasted no time snapping him up. According to them, he has thirteen days in an alien realm to learn as much as he can before the inevitable, at which point his memories, Skill Progressions and Weapon Proficiencies will endure despite his body resetting.

Then it’s rinse and repeat.

But there are unwritten rules to the game he’s about to play, and unseen forces acting in judgment.

Adam will have to learn the hard way that dying is the easiest thing he’s going to do today.

Spyware: It’s Not What You Think – Colin Robertson

Zombies, hackers, and U.S. Senators–what could be scarier? A modern horror sci-fi satire that imagines a world where cable news, social media and other mass media is used to infect the minds of the American public!

Someone has just released a virus capable of infecting the most advanced computer of all — the human brain.

Fortunately, it has been discovered by a brilliant hacker. Unfortunately, that hacker is Eddy Pending.

Eddy isn’t your typical criminal with a dark personal past. He’s far more messed up than that. Eddy’s past a maze of madness, bizarre family members, and truly terrible life choices. So, when the Men in Rose Coloured Glasses show up at his door armed with business cards that can kill, Eddy knows the right thing to do – run! Unfortunately for Eddy, that’s just not going to work. So he might just have to fight back instead.

Uprising (Fugitive Marines Book 4) – David Ryker and Douglas Scott

Double-crossed. Imprisoned. Fighting for their lives.

For the Jarheads of Oberon, it’s just another Tuesday.

But when an old foe reveals that the world is on the brink of a final world war, Quinn realizes they have to accept an impossible mission from someone he can’t trust, to find the one person who can possibly stop the evil schemes of Morley Drake and unite the world against the coming alien invasion. But who can he trust when everyone is looking out for themselves?

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s mind is slowly being poisoned by her father, and it’s up to her friends to navigate the unreal world of cortical reality and save her – and themselves – from a fate worse than attenuation. And all the while, the newly evolved Kergan is closing in on the ultimate weapon that will allow him to create a new interstellar empire on his own – starting with Earth.

New Release Roundup, 1 December 2018: Science Fiction published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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speedygal · 6 years

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Not a logical intervention - part 14 (Aka Spock and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night)

One night, Spock overheard the sounds of phaser firing from outside.

The sounds had ripped Spock out of his slumber.

The blasts had been loud. Very loud and clear.

The Ambassador opened the blinds to witness in a flare of light the intensity of a phaser blast striking the backside of a small Romulan warbird. The lighting from the blast showed that the attacker was a larger Romulan bird-of-prey. It had a long neck with small wings and almost seemingly appeared to be a modernized, steam punk version of a vulture at first glance. He closed the blinds hiding to the side of the wall. Five months of a contentful existence were shattered. He went toward his makeshift bed hiding his family photograph into his sleeve and placing the necklace under his shirt. He retrieved a phaser rifle from the closet.

The scene panned back to show the Romulan warbird crashing against the ground. The larger Romulan craft flew off leaving the trees bending in a eerie way. Blades of grass now bent in a different direction. The Romulan kicked open the lid sending it falling to the side. The Romulan tossed off their helmet falling over with a hand on the side of their chest crying out in agony. The Romulan had thick, bushy eyebrows. His Romulan hair cut was disheveled from the usual ‘v’ shape. The Empire was furious at him. Yet incredibly leniant chasing him off the mother Romulan warbird. He tore off the armor one piece in a fit of rage. Clunk. Clunk went his shoulder armor. Thunnk thunk went his thigh armor. A part of his pointy ears were missing bleeding neon green. Parts of his slanted eyebrows were covered in green blood as though he had killed someone.

The Romulan staggered over to the side of a tree trunk then started to slouch against it.

“Freeze,” Spock said.

The Romulan slowly looked up toward the Ambassador.

“A native?” the Romulan was surprised.

“A new native of this part,” Spock said. “Identify yourself.” Lyion held his free hand up in surrender.

“I prefer to call myself Lyionel, a human word, I think,” Lyionel said. “I am . .” he fell down to the base of the trunk. “Ah!” He flinched, clenching his shoulder. Spock was eying at him cautiously keeping the phaser rifle at the ready. The top half of the gun had Star Fleet Command symbol alongside the mouth of it. “A disgrace. A waste of the empire’s time.”

“How do I know you’re not here to see if I am a threat?” Spock asked.

Lyionel looked up toward the Vulcan.

“I cannot go back,” Lyionel said. “Not ever.”

“And you speak fluent Federation Standard,” Spock said. “Do not use the ‘I come from a family of spies’ excuse. Romulans have never bothered to spy on the federation.”

“They have plenty of spies in there working and gathering information,” Lyionel said. “they don’t get to the chair, if you’re thinking,” Spock lowered his gun toward Lyionel. “most of the people are perplexed why. Rumors say the Federation’s crews made them change their mind,” he laughed, flinching. “I wish I were a spy.”

Spock’s grip remained steady.

“You have not answered my question,” Spock said.

“I believe you call it. . “ Lyionel placed his hand into his pocket. Spock lightly put his hand onto the trigger. “You can relax, I did not bring my disruptor with me.” Spock’s glare was upon the man. Lyionel took out the long, gray pipe short object from the deep large pocket. He held it toward the Ambassador. “A universal translator?”

Spock lowered the gun then took the translator.

“Oh. . .” Spock said, “It has been a long time since I saw the translator this way.” He handed it back to Lyionel who was giving him a strange glance. “I cannot let you in to my household.”

“I understand your concerns,” Lyionel said.

“Sorry,” Spock apologized.

“For what?” Lyionel asked.

“For being unable to help you,” Spock said. “If you threaten my home or myself--”

“You will kill me,” Lyionel said. “I get that a lot.”

“I will toss you into a hole that has a large impalement,” Spock leaned over observing for any kind of recording devices on him. The look of horror was genuine on the Romulan. Spock leaned back with his hands on the top of the phaser rifle. “I can give you advice on how to heal those injuries but I feel that would be suspicious, and there for, a target by your government that likely has drones listening in.”

“Are you a Romulan?” Lyionel said.

“Arguably, I belong to no species,” Spock turned away then made his path toward the house.

“Then why are you here?” Lyionel asked. Spock stopped, painfully and briefly, closing his eyes as a flood of emotions ran through him. The Vulcan had a heavy sigh turning in the direction of Lyionel.

“Decline to comment,” Spock said. “Where did you get the universal translator?”

“A shuttle craft came out of an anomaly,” Lyionel said. “A time traveler, they said, someone from the future.”

“What stardate?” Spock said, approaching the Romulan once more.

“I believe it was the mid 2250′s, maybe the 2260′s.” Lyionel said. “I don’t really remember.” Spock shook his head.

“I have no knowledge of time travelers from that era,” Spock said.

“That is because I killed them,” Lyionel said. “the shuttle craft is property of the empire.”

“And is it advanced?” Spock inquired.

“Not by much,” Lyionel said. “it’s a older model.” Spock relaxed.

“How badly are you injured?” Spock inquired.

“I can’t stand keep my balance against a stupid tree,” Lyionel said. “I think . . . I lost a lot of blood.”

Spock took a light emitter off the phaser rifle then used it to check his wounds.

“The wounds are not severe,” Spock said. “you have suffered some blood loss.”

“So I am going to live,” Lyionel said. “How cheery.”

“The scarring is not going to be pleasant,” Spock checked the man’s ears. “My apologies, Mr Lyionel.” he put the light emitter back onto the phaser rifle then helped the Romulan up to his feet hearing the man’s loud high pitched yelp. Spock applied the Vulcan Nerve pinch on the side of the man’s neck Lyionel’s head lowered and he fell into the abyss of rest.

Lyionel awoke in what was likely a make shift bedroom. There were four walls around him with furniture decorating the room. The stinging from his chest had faded. He lowered the neck of his shirt to see the wound was healing well given what he gone through. A disruptor beam straight into the muscular section of his chest. He was lucky that it hadn’t hit where his lungs were located. The room was well lit by a candle attached to a makeshift candle container that were like a poor man’s replacement. The room was well regulated in temperature.

The bed felt like it was made out of lumber, hard and hearty.

He sat on the edge of the bed going through what had happened.

The empire would want to eliminate him in any means possible.

And if this elder was by any means cautious then he would leave this building.

The candle smelled liked honey, oddly enough, now that he had noticed.

“You must rest,” Spock’s gravel voice came from the doorway.

Lyionel looked over to see the older man leaning against the wall. Spock had long silver hair that reached to his shoulder with braids alongside his pointy, curled ears. He was in a long robe that seemed to be well made for someone stranded from civilization. His bangs were well trimmed compared to his hair. As though he had let go of his hair style for quite some time. Lyionel was impressed to see a Romulan individual, older than him, still around to surprise him. Spock raised a grayed, thinned slanted eyebrow at the man’s reaction.

“It is not advisable to leave bed rest after an injury like that,” Spock added.

“You helped me,” Lyionel said.

“And the drones think you’re dead,” Spock said.

“This is made of wood,” Lyionel said. “They think I am alive.”

“Not easily heard through wood,” Spock replied. “It is difficult to hear people through that,” Lyionel heard buzzing from outside. Spock had his arms folded as he shrugged before adding. “However, hearing what is going on outside is a different story itself.”

“What is that noise?” Lyionel asked.

“That is my bee colony,” Spock said.

“Oh,” Lyionel said.

“Yes,” Spock said.

“What is a bee colony?” Lyionel asked.

“Bumblebee’s,” Spock said. “black and yellow little insects that collect pollen. They are responsible for life as we know it. Flourishing on planets with soil. The ones you accidentally step on when talking barefoot.”

“If there are, then I rarely ever see them,” Lyionel said.

“Sure,” Spock said. “they are not the only pollinators.”

“I did not catch your name,” Lyionel said.

“It is best I don’t,” Spock said.

“You told me to identify myself,” Lyionel said. “it’s your turn.” Spock sighed.

“I refuse because that name used to signify someone else. . ." Spock looked down toward the floor in shame. "Someone better.” Spock shook his head. He looked back up toward the Romulan. “You may call me Selek.”

“Uh, no, Selek sounds like a every day traveler,” Lyionel said. “I don’t want to call you old man.” The Vulcan had a short laugh.

“That is the best you will get,” Spock said. “Mr Lyionel. You refuse to tell me your real name.”

“That‘s different!” Lyionel exclaimed.

“Not at all,” Spock said. Lyionel paused, considering it. He nodded his head.

“Both running away from the past,” Lyionel said. He used the frame of the counter to stand up. “quite a parallel. . . .” he leaned against it looking off toward the Vulcan. “I was betrayed by the empire I trusted, and you did something so bad that once you start anew you refuse to be known by the name you were born with?” he cupped his hands together in front of himself. “Sounds like a tragedy happened. Worse than mine.”

Spock nodded.

“You may leave in a week,” Spock said. “you may sneak out at night and we must never see each other again.”

“Ever?” Lyionel asked.

“Ever,” Spock said. “You are a Romulan. Romulan Empire is cautious regarding its own citizens.”

“It’s a curse and a gift at once,” Lyionel said.

“Indeed,” Spock said. “Mr Lyionel, I recommend you rest yourself. Wounds like that take time to heal.”

“All right, old man,” Lyionel said. “Jolan Tru.”’

Spock turned away with a bad feeling resting in his gut then closed the door behind him.

When Spock awoke next, he was being taken out of his bed, by the arms, by stronger, muscular individuals. He looked over to see the holo-emitter was broken. Spock’s heart broke into pieces. The last physical remainder, the last evidence was beyond repair. His photograph was hidden inside his sleeve, that Spock had made sure, before going to sleep an hour ago. He watched the Romulans searching for the beehives, the ones that were beehives, that were hanging above their heads. He looked over to see Lyionel on the floor in the dark two piece outfit hunched forward with tears in the outfit being stung again and gain by his superior officer using what happened to be a long golden staff with a red sizzling tip. He turned in the direction of the Vulcan and spoke fast toward the Vulcan.

“Tor ri nash-veh ken-tor du,” Spock said. I do not understand you.

The commander nodded in the direction of the security officers. One of them tore off the sleeve pocket from the Vulcan’s sleeve then tossed it over toward the commander. Spock watched in horror, restraining his physical reaction, as the commander slid open the photograph. The commander looked up in disgust toward the Vulcan.

“Ewek nam-tor skan,” Spock said. We are family. “Tor ri shaya ish-veh.” Do not break it.

“Hevam heis'he,” the commander said, in a disgusted tone. Human love.

“Hevam-thaessu,” Spock replied. Human-Vulcan. There were some Romulan phrases he knew but not all of it.

“Ryak'na,” the commander said, then dropped the device. Garbage.

Lyionel looked up.

“Hia,” Lyionel said. Oh no.

The commander used the disruptor on it.

“No!” Spock lunged forward collecting what was left of it. “No,no, no, no, no, no.”

Spock watched his friends vanish before his eyes. The space that Scott had been was now a large circular hole. The last evidence of his found family turned into a blue screen. Spock looked up, in anger, emotionally toward the commander as his hands crushed the photograph in half. His blood was boiling. Rage replaced all reason. Before the security officers knew it, their primary captain laid dead on the floor after several Vulcan Martial Arts and the fatal Variation of the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Spock rubbed his wrists, regaining his cool and composure.

“You have died hard and gone to hell, you son of a bitch,” Spock said in federation standard.

It was a fairly vulgar statement. Something that Spock hadn’t pictured himself saying in the beginning of his friendship with McCoy. The doctor’s swearing had rubbed off him. More so than it had before the incident with the whales and Khan. His vocabulary had increased after being inside the doctors mind. And they had became more useful to him, emotionally, and non-emotionally. No one clearly understood him in his second mother tongue.

“Graes thaessu?” Lyionel said. Old Vulcan? In a unsure voice.

Spock knew Lyionel would not last long, and he pitied him, and felt guilty that he hadn’t ended his life rather than helping him. Romulan torture was said to be worse than the mind sifter. Spock turned away from the younger man. Spock turned toward the security officers.

“Nem-tor svi’ nash-veh,” Spock said, holding both his hands up. Take me in.

Lyionel had watched the elder be taken away by the Romulan gaurds out of the house.

Lyionel was the last to be taken out. Lyionel watched a fire be started in the comfy, cozy home. Spock watched his home burning to the ground. His eyes drifted over toward the forest. As though he had something else hidden within the nearby perimeters. His gaze was ignored as he turned his attention back onto the man made home. His home burning before his eyes. Smoke drifting into the air. Flickering flames landing to the grass. A wildfire happening to the planet at any time. Turning the green planet into a burning planet. Spock painfully watched walls break apart as a gust of flames tore through it with renewed vigor. Green light circled the small group. The last Spock saw was the curtain of leaves burning away falling apart on what had been his front porch.

#my fic #space fic

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clubofinfo · 7 years

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Expert: There is no political grey area. There is only feigned pragmatism. Wet noodle-ism. The grey, the political middle in the American constituency, or what is considered moderate positions, has long been equivocating endorsers of the status quo. In today’s world these are corporate democrats, the Hillary voters who are still buying her shtick, the Republicans who are debating going to the left because Trump is a step too far even though he represents exactly what Republicans have been endorsing for years, and lastly the people still sincerely standing for the national anthem but aware America might just have some problems. This is moderately preferable to coming to rest on the first idea one is fed in life and then traipsing around forever proselytizing it. Those in the contemporary middle have taken the time to moderately see past the pitfalls of mind control exploit number one, organized religion, but have fallen prey to level two – government. However, the situation isn’t that this middle is filled with villainy as they are mostly a decent lot, but they are rooted in a bubble; a myopia in which they often make a conscious choice to not gaze too far outside of because they prefer the entrapments of culture and hence are fodder for subsequent buzzing distractions. They have been fed a diet based in capitalist value systems and primarily see only the pop culture images flickering in Plato’s cave. The modern cave has upgrades and no longer casts shadows from the cave entrance, but projects images of perpetual avoidance streamed in full HD. The cave programming manager has a locked in schedule for its viewers – a consumption, shame, judgment, punishment, and egotism marathon scheduled from here till the apocalypse. The political wishy-washies have but a semblance of an open mind. They will tend to vacillate between two arbitrary but familiar and entrenched points of view, their conclusions reached are gutless “agree to disagree” platitudes, while applying no real reason or supporting warrants to why their middle ground delusions are worthwhile in the scope of humane treatment of people. We all fall into this space at some point in our lives. Some see past the instilled cultural boundaries early, others fall into established social systems and indoctrination from corporate culture where they remain committed to a series of lifelong rationalizations thereafter in an effort to never have to face the latent values they have accepted. The Overton Window rules the mind of the political middle. The Overton Window describes the range of ideas people are willing to accept. It’s the range of their middle ground. And through this window is where terrible ideas sneak in. People fall into a mode of ostensible reasonability often with little care of the ethics actually endorsed. They will choose the middle of what they perceive as the outlying ideas of acceptance. If a scientist claims we cannot safely remove any more fossil fuels from mother earth due to the ever increasing possibility of abrupt climate change occurring – and on the other “side” a climate denier states there is no such thing as anthropogenic global warming – then the moderate will likely come to rest on the point of view that “Well, climate change may be occurring but it’s not as bad as the scientists make it out to be.” The weak willed middle ground recedes to philosophical pablum believing “the truth must lie somewhere in the middle”, which has no rational argument other than blindly obeying a trite turn of phrase, because other people say it, then it must be true. This is the exact type of idealism that has infected the democratic party’s constituency. Intellectual gutlessness closely followed by lazy thinking. Politicians play the middle when they want to hit that pragmatic note, but what’s going on behind the scenes is the same political chicanery and venality the moderates think only happens on the extreme sides of ideologies. One can never be sure what a feckless moderate endorses at any particular time. It’s one thing to be aware one is choosing the lesser of two evils due to being trapped in a sea of bad choices, but it’s another to not acknowledge that improvement is possible and ignore it’s the system that is at the root of the problem. They believe when their chosen team is in charge that all the choices have been considered thoroughly and weighed equally in open debate and the options given to us are the totality of the range of the best options available. This, of course, is a fabrication. There is no real debate going on. There is only talk of how to spin ideas to the populace so that government, banks, and the corporatocracy can continue looting, killing, and exploiting. The grey – they talk peace, but usually believe some war is necessary since that’s the middle position of the Overton Window these days. But they are generally aghast at the grotesqueries war produces. I’d contend anyone too disgusted to look at the tragedy of war, and while also capable of endorsing a system that promotes institutional violence, is of weak character. You have to be willing to look at some dead babies being pulled out of rubble if you’re going to be okay with drone strikes. The horrors we champion in nationalistic fits of pride are killing innocents in droves. We are launching attacks and delivering misery in the middle east to the faceless nameless hordes which resemble a slow moving genocide over the last several decades. Yet, in the hazy shade of grey the status quo positions remain salient because the middle just drifted off into another digital alternate reality, too lazy to care about what their tax dollars are supporting. Perhaps the middle is a result of a genetic darwinian thing. Too far out to the sides of the herd and you get chomped on by predators. Better odds of survival if you stay in the middle of the herd. But the herd is blind and is running towards that often noted cliff. In the middle position, disliking American ideals is too edgy for moderate minds. They still condone this American construct and its mass incarceration system, the wars, the faux democracy, predatory capitalism, climate obliteration, a 6th mass extinction event. It’s all on the table just so long as their position seems to be within what is socially acceptable. The desperate need for social validation trumps all ethical considerations. Like all parts of politics what is pragmatic has been manufactured. The word compromise and “reaching across the aisle” appeals to a sense of coming together under a bullshit guise of reasonability. However, the lines of compromise are drawn by whoever is lobbying the hardest and willing to grease the right palms. Those in the grey are usually well meaning, but typically in the thralls of the utopian center fed to them by the institutions and exponentially increasing amounts of Orwellian speak. They don’t understand how many euphemisms have been encoded into our speech that are nothing but bullshit. They don’t know the extent to which people can lie. They don’t know the ostensible veracity and aplomb in which our “leaders” can state something they consciously know is a falsehood but they sell it on CNN anyways. These are the believers of the narratives of mainstream media and government speak. They are the embodiment of the trite aphorism why can’t we all just get along? Well, because the established powers that be are assholes, Rodney. They’re real dicks, they are, a whole lot of them, and you can’t keep forgiving someone punching you in the face without first stopping them from doing it again. There is no grey area when it comes to endorsing a murderous system. Need it be even said that most people would agree that starting wars for no reason other than empire building via violent acquisition of resources and then charging the people for it is a ridiculous notion? A more ethically objective Overton Window would contend unloading misery on others militarily, economically, or any kind of meddling is immoral, and to be reasonable is to endorse cooperative economies in symbiosis with nature sans destruction. It is our own Overton Windows of acceptance to which we must invest conscious awareness. What have we accepted as our middle? Is that fair to others? And does it result in greater happiness, healing, and the least amount of suffering? It’s through this window of objective reasonability that light may finally douse the grey. http://clubof.info/

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